


Legacy Rangers

by PinkAtHart



Series: The Chosen Universe [1]
Category: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:20:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 30
Words: 283,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28043061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkAtHart/pseuds/PinkAtHart
Summary: The children of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers come together to form a new team as they face the daughter of Rita and Lord Zedd as well as an evil Demigoddess who is determined to set them free from their prison.As time wears on, they realize nothing is as it seems, and a far more sinister villain comes into play as he forms an Alliance of many other villains from the entire Power Rangers franchise. Ultimately, when a beloved former Ranger is kidnapped, the rest of the teams come to Angel Grove to help.This fic is part of the Chosen Universe. The prequel, “The Chosen,” becomes relevant around Chapter 16, so you may want to read that before the rest of this story.
Series: The Chosen Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2054166
Comments: 1





	1. Chapter One

UPDATED AUTHOR'S NOTE: Welcome to the Chosen Universe! This quick note will appear at the start of each of the fics in the series to help you make sense of things. These stories were originally published on fanfiction.net. 

When I originally wrote Legacy Rangers, it was intended to be a stand-alone fic. By the time several of the Chosen's descendants came into it, I began to realize there was more to the story and wrote the prequel (The Chosen), intending to add a sequel (Chosen Legacy) that tied it all together. Two "side stories" that took place in the same universe (Stone Warriors and Blast to the Past) ended up becoming essential to the plot of Chosen Legacy and I also began writing one-shots (Tales From the Rebellion) about a group of Rebel Eltarians who tie back to Zell and Zordon's world and become extremely important in the later fics. For the full Chosen Universe experience, I suggest reading all of these fics, however, the only ones you really have to read together are Legacy Rangers, Chosen Legacy, and Chosen Destiny because they are direct sequels to each other. I tried my best to recap previous fics in later ones for anyone who didn't read all of them. 

The best order to read the fics in is as follows: 

1) The Chosen (prequel featuring Zordon, Zedd, and Rita as teenagers) 

2) Legacy Rangers (begins very focused on the MMPR universe and ultimately includes appearances by every single team straight through Ninja Steel toward the end)

3) Stone Warriors (Sir Ivan from Dino Charge and Vida from Mystic Force become involved with a new team of Power Rangers. This is the first fic to introduce the Rebellion of Eltar. It also introduces new details from Zordon's family history. It contains major spoilers for Legacy Rangers.) 

4) Blast to the Past (Previously titled Go, Go, Wildcats. Cassie from Turbo is sent back in time to stop Divatox with Lucas from Time Force. This story takes place in 1989 and introduces a brand new team of misfit teenagers who Cassie selects to be her team of Power Rangers. This fic contains a few big spoilers for Legacy Rangers.) 

5) Chosen Legacy (My attempt at End Game, LOL. All of the previous teams come together to stop the greatest evil in the universe. Contains spoilers for all previously mentioned fics.) 

6) Tales From the Rebellion (You can read this one anywhere after Blast to the Past, with or without having read Chosen Legacy, so I stuck it at the end of the first six books. This is the story of the Rebellion of Eltar, a group who initially came into the series during Stone Warriors as villains but grew into so much more. Here, you will find their personal histories and may come to understand them a lot better. This fic contains a lot of important backstories that tie into the rest of the series.) 

7) Chosen Destiny (The final story in the Chosen Universe. This fic will contain spoilers for all previous fics and will wrap up the entire saga. It will feature most of the characters seen in the previous fics, and will focus heavily on the Eltarians, the Stone Warriors, and the Celestial Force Rangers. COMING SOON!) 

Thank you for your interest in taking this journey with me! I hope you enjoy the ride.

CHAPTER ONE: PROLOGUE... THREE YEARS AGO.

JOSH

Josh knew something huge was about to happen. His dad was working on his latest project. Josh had been the one to discover the bizarre alien relic in the park two weeks earlier. He'd immediately called his father over and together, they'd lugged it home. It was fascinating to examine, but neither one of them was certain what its purpose was.

That day, they'd been teleported to a strange facility hidden from sight. Josh had no idea what was happening, but his father didn't seem bothered by it, so Josh followed his lead. Josh's eyes had gone wide with shock as a robot approached them. So had his father's.

"Alpha?" His dad had asked in shock.

"That is correct, Billy," the robot had replied. "I am Alpha Twenty-Six. It's a pleasure to meet you... And you as well, Josh."

"I don't understand," his father had said. "What's going on? Why did you bring us here?"

"That relic you discovered is very important, Josh. It's going to help save humanity... But it's badly damaged. You must work with your father to repair it."

"Alpha, I'll help you. You know I will... But my son's too young."

"This is his destiny, Billy. Only the two of you together can unlock the relic's powers."

"I don't understand."

"The world will soon need the Power Rangers more than ever, Billy. And this generation will be stronger than ever."

"Power Rangers?" Josh had asked, his eyes going even wider. "Dad, what does this have to do with you?"

His father had looked at him and smiled before saying, "Josh, it looks like I'm going to need to tell you a story."

And that was how Josh learned the truth. His father had been the original Blue Ranger. His dad had always been a hero in his eyes, so this wasn't entirely shocking to Josh. Although Alpha had cautioned that the relic was extremely dangerous, his father had agreed to work on repairing it. If it was going to save the world, how could they refuse? They'd worked tirelessly for the last two weeks trying to figure out what the heck the thing was and fixing what they could.

"This is new," his father said as one of the panels popped open. "These markings don't look alien."

Josh looked at it over his father's shoulder. "Those are hieroglyphics, Dad... From Earth. Ancient Egypt, specifically," he said.

"You're right... That's certainly peculiar... See if you can translate them."

Josh drew a copy of the message before sitting down at his laptop. He set to work looking up the information. It didn't take him too long to find a rough translation.

It seemed the relic was a containment device. It could be used to trap the members of an evil army of an entity so wicked, the person who'd etched the warning would not write its name. The slightest crack in the relic would release forces so horrible, the Earth would be destroyed. Josh knew the device had already been cracked when he found it.

"Dad... I think we're in trouble," he said.

"What did you find?" His father asked.

Josh explained. "I think I can fix it. If I do, then when it's time, the Rangers will be able to recapture the army and save everyone," his father said.

He began working furiously, screwing things back together and substituting whatever worked for the damaged parts. He sent Josh out to get them lunch while he continued to work. On his way back, Josh saw Bulk, the son of his neighbors.

"Hey, Little Billy," Bulk called cheerfully. He'd never bothered to learn Josh's name. Bulk didn't live in the neighborhood anymore, but his mother still did, and Bulk visited nearly every weekend with his wife and children, so Josh often ran into him.

"Hi, Bulk," Josh replied. "How's your mom?"

"Mama Bulky's doing just fine, thanks. How's your dad?"

"He's good. Just working on a project. I should get back inside."

"Right. I've got a monster to walk. See you, Kid." The creature beside Bulk was most likely a dog, but it was hard to tell for sure.

Josh walked back into the house and called to his father to come upstairs and eat. They both wolfed down their food, eager to get back to work.

"Can you grab me another screwdriver?" His dad asked. "This one's fried."

Josh saw that the one in his father's hand had partially melted. "Sure, Dad," he replied. He walked to the other side of the basement to grab it for him.

"You know, I think we're almost there," his dad said. "I couldn't have gotten so much done without your help, Josh. You're the best."

"You're better," Josh replied.

His dad smiled at him. "Give yourself a few years, Josh, and you'll be driving circles around me."

Josh returned his father's smile. He was about to reply as he nearly reached him when he saw something start to smoke. "Dad!" He screamed in warning, but it was too late. The relic exploded and Josh saw his father vanish before his eyes in the blast as the force of it knocked him back. He hit his head against the wall and blacked out.

MERKHET

Merkhet cackled wickedly as the house began to collapse. "Take the prison," she said.

"But it exploded, Merkhet... Boom!" Virges replied.

"Fool! Of course there was an explosion! That was the point. But the prison cannot be destroyed. We must hide it where it can never be found."

He grabbed it. "And the threat?"

"He'll remain trapped inside until the one we serve releases him."

"What about the boy?"

"If he lives, his trauma will keep him from his path. He's no threat to us now." She paused, hearing the only master she answered to. "The safe. We must take it with us."

"I don't know, Merkhet. It looks heavy."

"Must I do everything myself? Imbecile!" She waved her hands and the safe shrank small enough to slip into her pocket. Merkhet felt faint. "I am still weak. I must rest... But soon, my little Power Rangers, my time shall come... Take me to the lair, Virges."

With that, they quickly departed.

BULK

The explosion was huge. Bulk spun around and stared in horror as the house collapsed. "What the heck was Billy doing?" He wondered aloud as he pulled out his phone and dialed 911. After hanging up, he suddenly remembered watching Little Billy go inside that house.

"Oh no!" He said. He ran across the street, his heart racing, and began trying to sift through rubble. "Billy! Little Billy!" He called. "Any Billy! Can you hear me? Are you there?" There was no response. Somehow, Bulk knew they had to have been downstairs in the basement.

He pulled away boards and pieces of the ceiling. He sifted through rubble until his hands bled and kept going. Bulk and Billy might not have had a great history, but Little Billy was a nice kid, and he was still so young. He had to save him.

His mother's beast of a dog barked. "What is it, Girl?"

The dog barked again and sniffed at some rubble. Bulk frantically began pulling at it as the first paramedics arrived on site.

"There's a kid here!" Bulk said frantically. "Him and his dad were inside when the house blew up."

The paramedics began trying to help look for any signs of life. They looked doubtful. Bulk didn't care. The kid was still alive. He had to be.

The dog barked again. Bulk moved another board aside and saw a hand that was a little too small to be Billy's. "Little Billy!" He cried. "Come on, Kid. Don't be... not alive. Please?" He started moving quicker, removing as much rubble as he could.

He had it cleared away pretty quickly. He swept the boy up into his arms and pulled him free. Little Billy's eyes fluttered and Bulk sighed with relief.

"Dad..." The kid moaned.

"It's okay, Kid," Bulk said soothingly. "You're alright." He had a horrible feeling that Billy wasn't going to be as lucky.

Little Billy called out for his father again, breaking something inside of Bulk. He knew Mrs. Billy had died from some awful and mysterious disease when Little Billy was about seven. It had just been Billy and the kid after that, and Billy had pretty much cut everyone else off from what Bulk had heard. No one ever figured out what killed Mrs. Billy, and it seemed like Billy suspected it wasn't so natural, but he never found any proof. That kid was his world, though, and he always had a smile on his face when his son was around. It was a real tragedy that the kid had just lost the only parent he'd had left. Bulk worried what might happen to him now.

"Oh my God..." A voice whispered.

Bulk turned around, still holding the kid, who'd blacked out again. "Tommy," he said, realizing who'd shown up.

"What happened?" His still-gorgeous wife Kat asked in that accent that drove Bulk kind of crazy in high school.

"The house blew up," Bulk said.

"Where's Billy?" Another guy Bulk vaguely recognized asked. It was that Asian kid Adam.

"He was in the house," Bulk said.

"Oh God... Billy..." Someone he hadn't expected to see said. "No..." She covered her mouth in horror.

"Kimberly," Bulk said. "What, did someone send out a secret signal to you guys or something? How are you all here?"

They exchanged glances that actually made Bulk wonder if he was on to something. It was just like in high school. They really were a weird bunch.

"Give Josh to me," Adam's wife, whose name Bulk had never caught, said.

"Who?" Bulk asked.

"The boy."

Bulk shook his head. "He needs the paramedics."

In fact, the paramedics had come closer. "Let me see him," one said.

Bulk reluctantly let go of the kid. He watched for a minute before deciding he was safe and starting to sift through rubble where the kid had looked when calling for his father. The people who'd gathered looked at him in confusion.

"What are you doing?" That guy Rocky asked.

"Looking for Billy. Little Billy's okay... We gotta try to find his father," Bulk said. Shouldn't that have been obvious?

The others began helping him sift through the rubble. Even the girls threw themselves into it. Tommy saw him struggling with an especially heavy piece of the roof and helped him lift it up, but there was no sign of Billy.

"Come on, Billy..." A very pretty lady Bulk barely recognized as Tanya said. He hadn't seen her since high school.

"He's not here," Adam's wife said firmly. "You're just hurting yourselves at this point."

"No... He has to be," Tommy insisted.

"Tommy... Billy's not here," she said again.

Tommy stared at her. Kat started crying. Kimberly sank to her knees and cried out, "No... Not Billy... Not like this..."

"Kim..." Tommy whispered. He might have gone to her, but Kat was crying beside him, and he comforted her instead.

"Damnit, Billy, what did you do?" Rocky asked aloud.

"Everyone needs to clear out. It's too dangerous to stay here," some first responder said.

They reluctantly went to safer ground. Kimberly didn't move. "Kim..." Tommy said. "Kim, we have to go."

"Not Billy..." Kimberly whispered again. It was clear even to Bulk that she was in shock. Kat nodded at Tommy and Tommy picked Kimberly up in his arms. She began sobbing as he carried her to safety, the weight of her grief finally hitting her. Bulk hated to see her like that. Kimberly had always been the girl with a smile on her face no matter what was going on in the world.

Bulk looked at the paramedics as they loaded Little Billy into an ambulance. "Will he be alright?" He asked.

"He's hurt badly, but he should survive," the paramedic who'd taken him from Bulk said. "He's a tough kid. That blast should have killed him."

Bulk decided he'd keep an eye on the kid whenever he could. He should have someone looking out for him, even if he didn't know it. He'd be like a secret guardian to the kid.

"You'll survive this, Kid," he said. "You're tougher than you look." He squeezed the kid's shoulder before letting the paramedics leave with him.

TOMMY

Tommy couldn't believe this was happening. He wanted to punch something, but he couldn't because Kimberly was still hysterical in his arms, and even he couldn't console her this time. Billy was dead. There was no coming back from this.

"Why?" He demanded aloud. "Why would Alpha call us and send us here if it was already too late to save him?"

"I'm sure he had his reasons," Adam said.

"It couldn't have been intentional. He must have thought we could help," Kat said.

"How? We're not Power Rangers anymore. Most of us don't have our powers," Rocky said.

"Rangers..." Alpha's voice said as they were suddenly teleported to the new Command Center none of them had known about until that day. "I am so sorry... I was certain there was still time..."

"Well there wasn't!" Tommy shouted.

"Tommy..." Casey said gently. His sister looked at him sadly. "He didn't know."

"She's right," Adam said sadly. Of course Adam took her side. They were married. "Alpha would never hurt us."

"We don't know this Alpha! This could all have been a trap!" Rocky said. "He just teleported us here to tell us 'save Billy! Aye-yi-yi! Power Rangers, reassemble!' Guess what? We're too old for this shit! Well, except maybe for Tommy. You never did learn to walk away."

"Please, Rocky, understand... There will be another team soon... The children will need to be protected and guided," Alpha insisted.

"What children?"

"Your children."

"What? You want my son involved in this now? No way! You just killed our friend! You can't have my son, too!"

"I'm not comfortable with it either," Tanya said.

"No," Kimberly whispered. "Absolutely not."

"Beam us home, Alpha Ninety-Nine or whatever," Rocky said. "We're out. We have a funeral to plan thanks to you."

Tommy understood their reaction, but he also understood destiny... And he had a feeling it wasn't going to be that simple.

TEN MONTHS AGO.

ANGELINE

The kids had been especially cruel that day. Angie closed her eyes and refused to let the tears gathering behind her eyes fall. She felt the familiar energy in her hands and knew she needed to get out of there before she made things worse.

"Watch it, Freak!" One of the boys shouted as she ran by him. Angie had to squeeze her hands into tight fists and bite her lip to keep the energy from exploding at him. Ever since she'd been a baby, Angie had been able to make strange things happen. She hadn't understood it as a child, but now she knew the random bursts of magic somehow came from her. The other kids were right... She was a freak.

She ran to the group home she currently resided in. Angie had been raised between group homes and foster care. Every time a foster family took her in, Angie hoped they'd be the ones to keep her, but no one ever did. She was too strange, too different, and even the kindest of foster families never wanted her. Eventually, at the ripe old age of four, Angie had been branded a "special needs" child. Even the families who were supposed to be willing to help kids like her had returned her almost as soon as they'd taken her in.

She finally started to cry when she was fairly certain she was alone in the garden. That was when the new kid in the group home walked over to her cautiously. She knew him, of course. Josh had only been an orphan for two years or so, but he went to Angel Grove High with Angie. She'd heard this was his third group home.

"Angeline... Are you alright?" Josh asked nervously. He'd never said much of anything to her before.

"I'm fine," Angie said quickly.

"Forgive me, but... You appear to be crying."

"I've got allergies."

"I have antihistamines in my backpack. Would you like one?"

Angie managed a small smile. "You're still talking to me," she said.

"I am."

"Most people don't."

"I find I'm unlike most people... Do you, perhaps, want to talk about what happened?"

"It's nothing... Just kids being jerks to me."

"I'm sorry they were unkind to you... People our age often act aggressively toward others, but it's generally due to their own insecurities."

"You're definitely different, Josh."

"Yes, the moronic masses we attend school with like to point that out to me as well."

"I'm not making fun of you," Angie said quickly.

"I know." Josh handed her a tissue. "Try not to feel too badly, Angeline. That's what they want."

"Josh, come on inside. We need to talk," Ian, one of the head counselors at the group home, said.

"Right," Josh said reluctantly. "Take care of yourself, Angeline. Try to remember that not everyone is a jerk." He walked away.

Angie felt calmer, but she still needed a distraction. She pulled out the Ipod one of her former foster families had been generous enough to let her keep and began watching one of the Monster High movies she'd saved to it. Angie knew the show was stupid, but it was one of the few things that gave her comfort. The idea of a school where weirdos and freaks were embraced and loved appealed to her greatly. It was pretty much what she'd dreamed of for her entire life.

Suddenly, she knew she wasn't alone. Angie looked up and saw a peculiar-looking woman standing before her. "Hello, Angeline," she said. "I am Merkhet. You need to come with me."

"No way, Lady," Angie replied. "I don't go places with strangers."

"My dear child, I know this world has been cruel to you, but you can trust me. I am here to help you."

"Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying."

"I can reunite you with your parents."

Angie stared at her. "I don't have any of those. They left me on the doorstep of an orphanage when I was born."

"There is a great deal you do not yet understand, but the time has come... Join me, and I will explain everything."

Angie wanted to tell this lady she was nuts and to buzz off, but something about her made her shrug and say, "Fine. But if you try anything, I'll hurt you." She could back the threat up. Not only did Angie have magic, but she could fight. She'd taken free Martial Arts classes at the Youth Center for years.

As soon as they were free from the group home's sight, they stepped into some sort of portal. Once inside, Angie spotted a strange half-human half-bird creature staring back at her. "Virges! Bring me the scrying mirror," Merkhet said.

"Yes, Merkhet," the bird replied. He left.

"Angeline... You are a very special girl," Merkhet explained as Virges returned with a heavy black mirror framed in gold. "Your parents never abandoned you... They were forced to send you to Earth to protect you." She mumbled something in another language and two people appeared in the mirror.

"Angeline!" The woman cried out. "Oh, my dear child, can it be true? Have you found us?"

"She's perfect," the man beside her added. "Hello, dearest daughter. It's good to finally see you once more."

"Who are they?" Angie asked in horror. The woman, although dressed oddly, could pass for human, but the man was clearly some sort of monster.

"These are your parents, my dear," Merkhet replied. "Meet Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd."

"This is impossible..." Angie mumbled.

"You're so beautiful," Rita said. "I dreamed of this day... I've missed you so much, my beloved baby girl..."

"You must free us," Zedd said bluntly.

"How?" Angie asked cautiously.

"By destroying the ones who imprisoned us... The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers."

"Power Rangers? There haven't been Power Rangers in Angel Grove since before I was born!"

"They may have been dormant, but they are not gone... And now, their children have come of age."

"My beautiful girl, you must destroy the next generation if we are ever to be free," Rita said.

"Destroy? I am not destroying anyone!" Angie was scared now. Was this real? She could feel it in her soul, but it was too horrible to imagine her parents were the infamous power couple that had tried and failed so many times to destroy the city she grew up in.

"They kept us from you, my girl," Rita insisted. "To protect you, we had to send you away. Everything you've been through is their fault."

Angie paused. Could it be true? "I always dreamed my parents would come back for me," she admitted.

"We have, Angeline. We're here. We love you. Right, Zeddy?"

"What?!" Zedd seemed offended by that.

"Tell our daughter you love her."

"I... Yes. Yes, of course." He didn't say the words, but just hearing it from Rita gave Angie something she'd never had before.

"I'll do it," Angie said. "But how?"

"I shall train you, my dear," Merkhet said. "You'll be ready to stop them in no time."

Angie knew she was in over her head, but if it gave her back her family, she had to try.

JOSH

He wished he'd stayed at the library or the Youth Center. Instead, he was stuck with Ian in the small, too-intimate office where he provided counseling to the residents of the group home. When Ian had reached over and put his hand on his leg to comfort him, Josh had jumped up and fled the room. Maybe Ian didn't mean anything by it, but Josh had seen too much over the last two years to risk it.

He hid in his room. The other boys were still out, so it was probably fairly safe. Josh opened up his laptop and began working on one of the many research projects he threw himself into to keep himself sane.

Suddenly, Josh felt the same tingling sensation he'd felt the day he'd discovered the relic that had killed his father. "Oh no..." He mumbled as his room vanished and he was suddenly inside of the Command Center. "No," he said firmly.

"Hello, Josh! It's so good to see you again!" Alpha said cheerfully.

"No way. Send me back. Send me back right now," Josh said.

"I can't do that, Josh. The world needs your help."

"I don't care. Send me back. You're going to get me in trouble!"

"Trouble? But why?"

"I'm supposed to be in my room. They'll think I ran away. Send me back, Alpha. Right now."

"I don't understand, Josh. You need to be here. It's your destiny."

"Screw destiny!" Josh shook his head. "I'll just find my own way out."

"The only way in or out is to teleport."

"Then let me go."

"Joshua." A new voice was speaking now, and the authority it commanded made Josh turn around involuntarily. "We will make certain they do not realize you are gone. Please, stay. We have much to discuss."

"Who are you?" Josh asked the man who stood before him.

"I am Zordon."

"Zordon?" Josh's eyes went wide. "My father said you would never return to Earth." His father had also described Zordon as some big floating head, but this man was flesh-and-blood and not trapped in the walls of the Command Center.

"I had to. The current threat to humanity is one no one else is prepared to handle. I left my home, and I will most likely never return."

Josh was about to ask for more information, but his anger took over. No matter what his reasons, Zordon was part of the world that had killed his father. "Did you know?" He asked.

"Joshua... I promise you, I did not know your father would be killed. Billy was especially dear to me. When news of his passing reached me, I knew I would need to return to Earth to help you all."

"I'm the only one here."

"You are the first. Alpha will be teleporting the others soon, but I wanted to give you time. I know this is difficult for you."

"You don't know anything, Zordon."

"I know that you are destined for greatness, Joshua. You're going to be just as valuable to humanity as your father was. You are the next Blue Ranger."

Josh shook his head and mumbled, "This can't be happening. I'm clearly experiencing a hallucination brought on by my own fears." He decided to keep telling himself that until this hallucination released him.

KATIE

She was bored, so she decided to annoy her favorite target. "What's up, Saba?" Katie asked. "How are you today?"

"I'm still not yours, Katie," Saba reminded her. Years ago, before Katie was born, her Aunt Casey had fixed the White Tigerzord. Her father still had Saba, and he protected Saba and the Zord. Katie had been "borrowing" Saba for several years now.

Being the daughter of the second Pink Ranger, Katherine Hillard, and the infamous Green/White/Red (was that all of them? No, he'd also been the Black one more recently) Ranger Tommy Oliver, Katie had always known the truth about her parents. For a couple of years now, they'd been preparing her for her destiny as a future Power Ranger, but she'd always known in her heart that she'd grow up to be one someday. The only question was, which color would she be? Between her parents, she could practically inherit all of them.

"Semantics, Saba!" Katie said. "You'll be mine soon."

"I still don't belong to you."

"You know you love me."

Katie began practicing some moves. She loved the way Saba felt in her hands as she trained. Suddenly, just as she was about to charge at a tree, she felt her entire body start to tingle. "Uh-oh..." She mumbled as she teleported out of the backyard and into what she knew must be the Command Center.

"Welcome, Katie," Alpha said eagerly.

"Alpha!" Katie said in excitement. She looked at Saba, still in her hands. "Are you mine now?" She asked.

"Yes, Katie. I believe that I am," Saba replied.

Katie smiled, ready to finally greet her destiny with all that she had.

THORN

He was riding his bike through the park when he heard a soft whimper. Cautiously, Thorn got off his bike and followed the sound. He found a small girl crying in the bushes.

"Are you alright?" Thorn asked her.

"I can't find my mommy," the little girl explained.

"Where did you last see her?"

"I don't know."

"Okay... What's her name?"

"Mommy."

Thorn took a deep breath. This might be slightly more complicated than he'd thought. "What's your name?"

"Zoey."

"Okay, Zoey. Come with me. I'll help you find your mom."

The little girl looked at him skeptically before taking his hand. Apparently, she'd decided she trusted him.

They walked for a bit before the last thing Thorn expected happened... They were attacked by odd creatures he recognized as not having been in Angel Grove in over twenty years. He'd seen old television reports of Putties, but he'd never thought he'd see one in person.

"Get behind me, Zoey!" He said before he began using the training his parents had given to him. He wished his twin sister Sage was with him, but it looked like his first fight was going to be a solo one.

He focused and let his instincts take over. Soon, the Putties had been defeated. Luckily, there had only been four or five of them. He'd have been toast if any more had shown up.

"How'd you do that?" Zoey asked in wonder.

He was saved from responding as a woman came rushing over. "Zoey! Oh, sweetheart! Where did you go?" She asked, scooping the girl up into her arms.

"I was trying to bring her back to you," Thorn said quickly, worried Zoey's mom would think he was kidnapping her or something.

"You're Casey and Adam's boy, right? Your mom fixed my car last Summer. Tell your parents Susan says hello. Thank you for protecting my Zoey," she replied before walking away with her daughter.

Thorn was about to go retrieve his bike when he felt odd. "Oh boy..." He mumbled as he was teleported to what he knew was the Command Center.

"Hello, Thorn," Alpha said. "Your sister should be arriving shortly."

SAGE

She was trying to meditate, but Sage was distracted. Something was wrong with her twin. She could feel it.

Scooping up her backpack, Sage ran toward the park. She got there just in time to see her brother Thorn vanish. "Oh my..." Sage mumbled. "It seems to be time."

Other people might have freaked out, but Sage understood what she'd seen. Her brother had teleported, most likely to the Command Center. She wondered why she hadn't been taken, too. Their parents had seemed pretty certain that both of them had legacies to inherit, but maybe they'd been wrong. Maybe they'd decided they didn't need her to assume the Green Ranger powers... Her uncle Tommy had been the Green Ranger first, before her mom had taken the powers into herself to save both her brother and the powers from the forces of evil. Maybe that job was being given to Tommy's daughter instead. Thorn would definitely fill their father's role. He was just like him.

Suddenly, several creatures Sage recognized as Putties appeared. She didn't even hesitate before she began battling the evil creations. Her parents had told her if Putties ever showed up, more serious trouble was sure to follow. What was going on?

Sage was able to take out the Putties fairly quickly. She'd never felt anything quite like that adrenaline rush. She looked around, making sure no other threat lurked. Then suddenly, she felt what she knew had to be someone teleporting her, too.

She looked around as the Command Center came into her sight. "Sage!" Thorn cried out, flinging his arms around her.

"It's time," her cousin Katie said excitedly.

Sage noticed one other person had already arrived. "Hi, Josh," she said cautiously. Josh didn't look happy about any of this.

"Hello, Sage," Josh replied awkwardly.

"Is this all of us?" Katie asked.

"No," the man Sage knew must be Zordon replied. "There are others. Alpha will bring them soon. You four have already been told the history of the Power Rangers. I'm afraid the others will be in for a bit of a shock."

"Aye-yi-yi..." Alpha added.

Sage wondered who else might be involved. She knew the other former Power Rangers and their children, but there were a lot of them. Which ones had been chosen? It was difficult to guess who might inherit the legacies of their parents. It was even harder to guess which color some of them might be, as several of their parents had switched colors over time, and a couple of them had two parents with possible legacies to inherit.

KENNY

He was working hard on his latest routine on the parallel bars. He'd already worked on the pommel horse for the last two hours.

"Maybe you should take a break, sweetie," his mom said gently.

"I can't, Mom. I have to get this perfect or Coach will kill me," Kenny insisted.

"Okay, but just a little longer, alright? You're pushing yourself too hard."

"Coach says I don't push myself hard enough."

"Your coach is wrong. You're the hardest working gymnast I know."

"Dad thinks I need to step it up."

"Your father was always too hard on himself, and now he's being too hard on you. Don't listen to them, Kenny. You're doing fantastic. Trust me. I would know."

Kenny's mother had once been one of the top gymnasts in the country. His dad had been, too, until he took a fall off of the rings and damaged his back permanently. He'd had to give up on his dreams, and now he lived vicariously through his son.

"Okay. I'll take a break after I finish the routine once through," Kenny said. He began swinging and building momentum. He had this routine down perfectly, but he knew how important it was to keep practicing. It had to be better than perfect if he was going to win the gold, and he knew if he dared bring home a silver, Coach and his father would never forgive him.

He was upside-down when all of a sudden, he started to feel strange. "Oh no..." His mother said suddenly. "Kenny!"

He tried to slow his momentum, but he couldn't. All of a sudden, he was somewhere else. He flew through the air with a cry and landed hard on his butt. "Ouch!" Kenny cried out.

"You didn't exactly stick the landing, there, Kenny," Katie said with a laugh.

"Katie! Be nice," Sage said. She extended her hand to help Kenny to his feet.

"What's going on?" Kenny asked. "Where are we? Josh?" He looked to the person he knew the best other than Katie. Josh was his Godbrother.

"This is going to be difficult for you to accept, Kenny..." Josh began. "I don't think your mother will have told you about any of this."

"My mom? What does this have to do with my mom?" Kenny asked.

"The answers will come shortly," a man with a booming voice said. Kenny spun around and stared at the unusual-looking man. "I am Zordon, Kenny. Welcome to the Command Center."

MADDIE

She was practicing a difficult set of moves and her adrenaline was pumping. "You're doing great, Maddie," Jason Scott told her. Jason was in town visiting his family and had agreed to help out at the Angel Grove Youth Center for the week. He was an old friend of Maddie's mother's, and he'd been happy to work with her.

"Thanks," Maddie said. "Do you think I'm ready for the tournament on Saturday?"

"Oh, you're definitely ready, Kid," Jason said proudly.

"I really appreciate all of your help, Jason! I wouldn't have gotten this good without you."

"You were already great, Maddie. You've got a gift." He gave her a hug. "So, let me buy you something to eat. You've earned it!"

She smiled and started to walk with him. Suddenly, Maddie felt... off. "Jason? I'm... I'm not feeling very well," she said.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked with concern.

"I don't know. I feel like... Like..."

Jason stared at her. "Crap..." He mumbled. "Maddie, come with me." He practically carried her outside and they ducked behind the building.

"What's happening to me?" Maddie asked.

"You were blinking in and out of space... Someone's trying to teleport you, and I think they did it like that so I'd notice and get you someplace where nobody would see it," Jason said bluntly.

"Wait... What? Teleport? What are you talking about?"

Before Jason could answer her, Maddie felt the sensation again, and suddenly, she was in a strange building. She looked around at all of the technology and her eyes went wide. "What the heck? This is so cool..." She mumbled.

"Welcome, Madeline," a strange man said.

Maddie squeaked in surprise as she realized she was not alone. "Hey, Maddie," Kenny said. "Don't worry. I'm just as confused as you are."

"What is this place? It's so cool!" Maddie exclaimed.

"Your answers will come shortly, Madeline."

"It's Maddie, please... And you are?"

"I am Zordon. This is Alpha Twenty-Six."

"Hello!" A robot said.

Maddie gasped. "Wow... Seriously, am I dreaming?"

"No, Maddie," Zordon said. "I promise, you will understand in a few moments... We're only waiting for one more of you."

ZEKE

His usual seat in Detention might have been fairly comfortable, but Zeke was more than happy to leave. He gathered up his things and looked at the woman who ran it. "Bye, Ms. Jarmel. Same time tomorrow?" He asked cheerfully.

"I certainly hope not," Ms. Jarmel replied dryly.

"You know you love me. I keep you employed with how often I'm in this place. I mean, talk about job security!" He blew a kiss at her before running out the door. He threw down his skateboard and started heading toward home.

It wasn't that Zeke was a bad kid or anything... He just got bored easily, and he tended to get into trouble when that happened.

Zeke messed around with a few stunts on his board before he saw something strange. Several weird creatures gathered around him. He was surrounded.

"What the hell?" Zeke wondered aloud. As the creatures came closer, Zeke knew he was about to be in trouble. He started defending himself, kicking at them and throwing punches as he could. He was holding his own pretty well when someone came running over.

"Zeke! Watch out!" Jason shouted.

"Jason?" Zeke asked in confusion as he saw his father's old friend start throwing kicks and hits of his own. He was doing pretty damn well, too.

"Aim for their chests!" Jason told him.

Zeke didn't have to be told twice. He started throwing kicks at their chests, knocking them back. "What are they?" He asked.

"Putties."

Zeke didn't ask anything else as the two of them took down the last of the creatures. "Jason... I recognize those things now," Zeke said when it was safe. "I've seen them in old news broadcasts about the Power Rangers. I thought they didn't exist anymore?"

"So did I," Jason said nervously. "Zeke, something major's going on... I'm bringing you home to your father."

Before he could, however, something started to happen. Zeke had never felt anything quite like it before. "Jason?" He asked. With that, he was suddenly transported to another location. "Seriously, what the hell?" Zeke demanded.

"Zeke. I'm so glad you've arrived safely," a man he'd never seen before said. "I am Zordon. Welcome."

"Can you explain it to everyone now?" Katie asked.

"In a moment... Ah, yes... Here is your mentor."

In a flash of light, someone else arrived, and Zeke was left more confused than ever.

KATIE

She stared in wonder along with everyone else at first. Then, she realized who was standing there. "Dad? Seriously? Of course it's you," she said, rolling her eyes. Her dad didn't know how to walk away from the Power Rangers. Who else would Zordon and Alpha have tapped to be their mentor?

"Hi, honey," her father said with a smile.

"Tommy? What the heck is going on?" Kenny asked.

"Kids, I know some of you are really confused, but allow me to explain what's happening," her father replied. "This is the Command Center for a very special group of people... The Power Rangers."

"Power Rangers? Like, the Power Rangers? Cool!" Maddie declared.

"Yes, Maddie. The stories are true. What you, Kenny, and Zeke don't know is that you've met the Power Rangers before."

"Are you a Power Ranger, Tommy?" Zeke asked in confusion.

"He's, like, every Power Ranger," Katie said dryly. With pride, she added, "My dad is the ultimate Power Ranger. He has been the leader of more than one team, and he's mentored before, too. He always helps when the world is in crisis."

"You knew, Katie?" Kenny asked.

"My parents never hid this from me. I'm proud of my heritage."

"I don't understand. What's going on?" Zeke asked.

"The seven of you have been chosen to be the next generation of Power Rangers," Katie's father explained. "You're different than most of the other generations. You're special because each and every one of you is a legacy."

"What do you mean?" Maddie asked.

"All of you were born to former Power Rangers."

"Wait... My mom was a Power Ranger?" Maddie's jaw dropped.

"Yes. Tanya was the first Yellow Ranger on the Zeo Rangers and Turbo teams. I was originally the Green Ranger, but after my powers were stripped, I became the White Ranger... And eventually, I was the Red Ranger, in the Zeo team, then the first Red Turbo Ranger... Most recently, though, I was the Black Ranger when I served as the mentor to the Dino Thunder Rangers..."

"Wow... That's quite a resume," Kenny said. "No wonder mom's always gone on about you like you were some sort of super hero."

"Your mom's a super hero, too, Kenny," Katie's father explained. "She was the original Pink Ranger."

"Seriously? My mom? The same woman who freaks out if she breaks a nail or wears a color that's out of season?"

"Your mom was amazing. She was one of the fiercest members of the team... And when she left, my wife, Kat, took her place as the Pink Ranger."

"So Katie's a double legacy?" Maddie asked.

"Yes. So are Thorn and Sage. My sister, Casey, became the Green Ranger after I lost my powers. It's complicated... Too complicated to get into today. I'll save that story for later. Adam was the second Black Ranger."

"And... My dad?" Zeke guessed.

"Your father was the second Red Ranger. He was a fierce member of the team, and he had big shoes to fill when he took over for Jason."

"Jason? Jason Scott?" Maddie asked.

"The one and only. He was the original Red Ranger, and the very first team leader before I took over. Jason's kids would have been great Rangers, but they're too young. His oldest is only thirteen, and they live in Tampa anyway. You were all born for this destiny. You are all children of Angel Grove, born and raised here."

"Wait..." Kenny said. "If Josh is here, then..." He stared at Josh.

"Yes, Kenny. Billy was the original Blue Ranger." Katie's father's voice had the slightest hint of emotion in it. Her parents still didn't talk about Billy much. What had happened to him was too devastating. "He was the heart of our team. We would never have made it without him. The experiment that..." He couldn't say it. "What happened to Billy happened because he was trying to help Alpha. He was a hero to the very end. I am extremely proud to have his son on this team."

"I'm not on this team," Josh said harshly. "I didn't ask for any of this, and I don't want it! You guys killed my father!"

"Joshua, please-" Zordon began.

"It's Josh, and I want to leave. Right now. Send. Me. Back."

"Josh, you must stay and learn the rest," Alpha insisted.

"No, Alpha. The Rangers must choose this destiny for themselves. If Josh does not want it, that is his choice," Zordon said. "Send him home."

"Josh, wait. Take this," Katie's father said. "In case you change your mind." He handed him a black pouch.

Josh tucked it into his pocket as he was teleported out of the Command Center. "You're just going to let him go?" Katie asked.

"He'll make the right choice eventually, Katie," her father insisted. "This is harder for Josh than the rest of you. He watched his father die. He needs time." He paused. "As for the rest of you... Here are your power coins." He handed each of them a pouch. "Say the word that's written on the black pouch and you will morph as the power comes to you."

They looked at their pouches and began to speak.

"Dragonzord!" Sage began.

"Tigerzord!" Katie cried out in excitement. She'd hoped she'd be the White Ranger. That meant Saba was really hers now.

"Mastodon," Thorn read aloud.

"Pterodactyl," Kenny said.

"Saber-toothed tiger!" Maddie cried out.

"Cool! Tyrannosaurus!" Zeke declared.

They were all morphed and they looked down at themselves. "Seriously? Great. Of course," Kenny said as he looked at his new outfit.

"Dude... Watching the old clips, I used to have a major crush on the Pink Ranger... But I think that's over now," Zeke said as he began laughing hysterically. "You're not my type, bro!"

"Look, if you think I haven't already heard every single joke about my sexuality and masculinity as a male gymnast, you're wrong. Hit me with your best shot," Kenny replied. "Whatever. I'm a Power Ranger. The color is the least of my concerns."

"So, we have a Green Ranger, a White Ranger, and a Red Ranger," Katie said cautiously. "Which one of us is the leader?"

"I am," her father said with a straight face.

"Dad..."

"I'm kidding. You and Sage as the White and Green Rangers will share the role of team leader."

"What about me?" Zeke asked.

"While leadership is definitely inside of you, you've had no training yet, Zeke. In time, you may also be a leader, but for now, Katie and Sage are prepared for the job."

"What happens now?" Maddie asked. "Do we go out and kick all kinds of butt?"

"Basically, yes. The best way for you to learn is to learn on the job. Today, for the first time in over two decades, Putties have attacked Angel Grove. I'm afraid you guys are going to have to learn as you go, just like we did."

"I'm so in!"

"Me, too," Zeke said.

"It is our destiny," Sage said. "I'm ready."

"I'm not," Thorn said, "but I'm going to try to prove I'm worthy anyway."

"I was born ready," Katie said.

"This is insane," Kenny said. "But I'm in anyway."

"Good... Because there's a major Putty attack not far from the park right now," Alpha said. "Aye-yi-yi! You're strongest together... Without a Blue Ranger..."

"Relax, Alpha," Katie's father said. "They can handle this. They're ready."

Within moments, the six of them were teleported to the scene of the attack. People ran in terror. Katie looked toward Sage. "You ready?" She asked.

"I am," Sage replied.

"Let's do this!"

It started off well enough. They were doing fine. Even Zeke, Maddie, and Kenny seemed to be adjusting to the insanity. Zeke and Maddie both had Martial Arts training and Kenny was in amazing shape because of the gymnastics. Everything was going great... Until something new appeared.

"What the hell is that?" Zeke demanded.

Katie stared at the monster in front of them. "Power Rangers! I am Scattermass!" It declared.

"Scattermass? What kind of a name is that?" Kenny asked.

"A lame one," Katie decided.

It suddenly pointed a weapon at Zeke, who barely dove behind a rock in time as it fired. The rock blew apart.

"Scattermass... It scatters... mass. I get it!" Zeke said.

"Great! Now how do we stop it?" Thorn asked.

"Can we call the Zords?" Sage asked.

"They haven't told us how yet!" Thorn replied.

"I can call the White Tiger," Katie said. They stared at her. "What? I have Saba right here. I've never powered it before, but... How hard can it be?"

"Your father asked that once... It didn't end well," Saba informed her.

"Well, I'll get it right." Katie knew she was taking a risk, but calling in the Zord might be their only chance.

JOSH

He was watching the news when he saw the footage of the Putties attacking the others. He stared in horror. "This isn't your problem, Josh," he reminded himself. Still, he could tell they were in trouble. The Putties weren't so difficult to handle, but when the monster showed up, he knew they were in real danger.

"Come on... Strategize, guys!" He said to the television. "You can't just attack it from random angles... You need a plan."

As the Red Ranger ran at the monster, it nearly blew him up. Josh's heart almost stopped. He knew these kids. They were the children of his father's friends. Kenny was probably the closest thing to a best friend he had. His dad had been Kenny's Godfather. He was out there... And the monster who he was fighting was trying to blow all of them up.

Josh began trembling as he saw his father, seconds before the explosion, there one moment and gone the next... An explosion could do entirely too much damage. There might be no coming back...

"Kenny..." He mumbled. "Damnit. I have to help them. I can't just let them get themselves killed."

He watched for another minute before realizing that the monster was guarding his chin whenever the Rangers tried to attack him. The White Tigerzord was attacking him, and that seemed to buy the team some time, but they wouldn't last long.

"Fine," he said. "Forgive me, Dad..." He pulled the coin out of the pouch and knew what he had to do. His father had explained morphing to him. "Triceratops!" Josh declared. And suddenly, he morphed into the Blue Ranger. "Alright, guys! This one time, I'll help!"

He was teleported to the others. "Katie! Watch out!" Josh screamed as a blast came for her. He knocked her down to safety.

"Thanks, Josh!" Katie said. "I was hoping you'd show up."

Josh began helping them fight. When the monster tried to hit him, Josh forced himself to stay calm and dodge the blast. He had no intention of getting blown up today. He waited for an opening, then jumped into a tree, pulling himself up on the branch and swinging from it hard. He kicked the monster right in the chin.

"No!" The monster cried out. "Not my face!" It fell backward and hit the ground, then dissolved into a puddle of something very gross before their eyes.

"Alright!" Katie cheered. "We did it!"

"Josh did it," Sage said. "You really saved us today."

"How did you know what to do?" Zeke asked.

"Josh is a genius," Kenny said.

"It was nothing, really. I simply deduced that the monster was guarding its chin for some reason, and I took an educated guess that if we hit it just right, it might weaken or destroy him. I'm pleased to see I was correct," Josh said.

"Does this mean you're one of us now?" Maddie asked.

"Of course he is," Thorn said.

"No... I don't know," Josh said. "I don't want to do this... But I'm no longer certain I have a choice."

"We're a team, Josh... And you complete us," Kenny insisted.

Josh sighed. "I'll try," he said.

Suddenly, they were all teleported back to the Command Center. "Well done, Rangers!" Tommy declared. "I'm proud of you!"

"Indeed, you have risen to the occasion," Zordon said. "You are truly worthy of your family legacies. From now on, you will train and learn the ways of the Power Rangers. Soon, you will face a much larger threat than the one you faced today. I intend to make sure you are ready."

Josh had his doubts, but he didn't voice them aloud. He had to admit, it had felt nice to be part of something for once. He might be terrified, but perhaps this truly was destined. He just hoped that whatever threat Zordon had hinted at was one they would be able to survive.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for reading! I hope you liked the first chapter. There's more to come! Any comments and votes are appreciated.


	2. Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO: PRESENT DAY.  
KIMBERLY  
She'd taken the day off to try and process some of the things that were going through her head. She went for a walk and found herself in the same place she often ended up on days like this. "Hey, Billy," she said sadly as she sat beside the tombstone. There had been no body to bury, but they'd still had a funeral. Everyone had chipped in to send Billy off and they'd given him the nicest headstone money could buy. It wasn't just for Billy; it was for Josh. They'd all decided Josh deserved to have a place to go to mourn his father. He'd still been in the hospital during the funeral, but they'd held a smaller memorial after he got out so he could say goodbye.  
"I miss you so much, Billy," Kimberly said as tears formed in her eyes. Of everyone, she'd had the hardest time letting go. Part of her was still in denial. Billy couldn't be dead. They'd never found him... There was still hope. She tried to keep that to herself because no one had believed her initially. Casey had confirmed he was gone, and with her Native American training as a Shaman, she was never wrong about these things. It was enough to convince the others, but it felt so wrong to Kimberly... She came to his grave to remind herself that he was gone.  
She stayed at his grave for nearly two hours, just talking to him. Billy had always been such a good listener. Whenever things went wrong in her life, Kimberly knew he was the one person who'd put everything aside and be there for her. Sure, Jason did it, too, but until six months ago, he'd lived in Florida. Of course, Kimberly knew Tommy would literally drop anything for her, but she couldn't let him. Tommy was with Kat, and they were happy, and Kimberly would never get in the way of that. Besides, her husband Mark hated Tommy. He was insanely jealous of him. While Kimberly still saw Tommy and Kat frequently, she was careful not to rely on them too much.  
Her bond with Billy had grown even stronger after his wife died. While Billy pushed everyone else away, Kimberly refused to let him. She had held his hand while he watched Marilyn waste away before his eyes. She'd watched Josh while Billy desperately tried to find a way to save his wife. After her death, it had been Kimberly who planned her funeral because Billy was too grief stricken. She'd stayed by his side, helping him explain to his seven-year-old son that his mother was never coming home. She'd held him while he cried, and he'd let her. That was surprising, as Billy sometimes didn't let people touch him, especially when he was upset. Billy stopped trusting nearly everyone as they refused to listen to him when he insisted his wife hadn't died of natural causes, but Kimberly let him talk about it. She believed him. Billy wasn't the sort to imagine things like that.  
When things started to get really bad in her personal life, Billy was the only person Kimberly could turn to. He'd been trying to convince her to leave her husband for a while, but her parents always convinced her to go back home. Since Billy had died, Kimberly hadn't had anyone to turn to. Occasionally, if things really got out of control, she'd call Tommy and Kat, but she hated doing it. Since Jason had moved back to town, she was turning to him more, but she never told him what was going on. She couldn't tell Tommy or Jason. They'd both kill Mark if they knew.  
When Kimberly finally left the cemetery, she went home. Unfortunately, as she'd suspected, Mark had been drinking. "Where were you?" He demanded.  
"I just went to the cemetery," Kimberly said quickly. "To see Billy."  
"For all that time?"  
"I miss him, Mark."  
"You're lying. You were with Tommy, right?"  
"No. I haven't seen Tommy since Kenny's competition last week."  
"Bull! I know you're lying to me, Kim!"  
"Mark, you're not thinking straight. You're drunk-"  
"I'm fine! I just married a Goddamned tramp!"  
"Don't call me that."  
"I'll call you whatever I like!"  
"I'm going to start dinner. Just calm down, alright?"  
"Don't you walk away from me!" Mark grabbed her arm. Kimberly had to take a deep breath to keep her reflexes from kicking in. One good kick and he'd be on his butt.  
"Let go of me, Mark," she said. "Please."  
He tightened his grip. "You're worthless! Can't even stay faithful..."  
"Mark, I'm faithful! I've never been with anyone else." That was true. Kimberly had been a virgin until their wedding night.  
"Shut up!" He let her arm go and slapped her hard across the face. Kimberly automatically touched her cheek. She felt tears in her eyes.  
The front door opened and Kenny came inside. Kimberly quickly wiped away her tears. "There's my champion!" Mark declared. "Your coach says you knocked your new routine out of the park." He patted Kenny's back affectionately.  
"Thanks, Dad," Kenny said. He looked at Kimberly with concern. "Is everything okay, Mom?"  
"Yes," Kimberly said quickly. "I'm about to make dinner." She smiled a little too hard before she hurried off to the kitchen. Mark's mood was much better around their son. She hoped Mark would sober up with some food in him. He was a sweetheart when he was sober.  
JOSH  
He was sitting in the library when he noticed Angeline. She had changed in the last several months. She was still easily upset by the kids teasing her, but she seemed to be gaining some confidence. She seemed stronger in a way he couldn't quite identify, like her skin had gotten thicker.  
"Hi, Angeline," he said.  
"Hey, Josh," she said. The harsh walls she always had up lately dropped slightly as she smiled shyly at him. She paused after a moment. "Who was it?" She asked.  
"I'm sorry?"  
"Who gave you those bruises on your arm, Josh?"  
"It's nothing."  
"Don't give me that. I live there, too."  
He sighed. "Kevin and Jeremy thought it might be fun to 'jump the genius.' Must be a day that ends in Y."  
"Jerks. They'll get theirs, Josh. I promise."  
"Eventually, perhaps."  
"Are you okay?"  
"I'm alright. The bruises aren't that bad."  
She nodded. "If you ever need the House Freak to back you up, I'm here."  
"I know. Thank you."  
"I have to get back. You should come."  
"I still have a little work to do."  
"Okay. Just don't stay out too late..."  
"I won't."  
Angeline left and Josh returned to his homework. Before he knew it, an hour had passed. Josh quickly gathered his things and left the library. He didn't make it very far before he spotted trouble.  
"Great. Putties," he mumbled. He quickly added, "Triceratops!" He morphed and headed into battle, ready to take on the simple-minded minions. He realized quickly that there were too many to handle alone.  
"Zordon! Alpha! I need back-up," he said as he kicked a Putty in the chest.  
"We will alert the others," Zordon replied. Josh hoped they'd get there soon.  
ZEKE  
He was walking Maddie home from the Youth Center when suddenly, the familiar alarm went off on his communicator. He looked around before responding with, "We read you, Zordon. What's up?"  
"Zeke, Maddie, Putties have attacked outside of the library. Josh needs help and you two are the closest," Zordon said.  
"We're on it," Zeke replied. "It's Morphin Time!"  
"Saber-toothed Tiger!" Maddie said.  
"Tyrannosaurus," Zeke added.  
Together, they ran to Josh's aid. They set to work quickly. The team had slowly been getting very good at working like a well-oiled machine. Zeke and Maddie fought back-to-back, covering each other as needed without speaking. Zeke was pretty impressed with how well Maddie held her own in fights. He'd known how skilled she was with Martial Arts, but fighting in the Dojo was one thing... It was quite another to apply those skills in the real world.  
Suddenly, a creature that was a lot scarier than a Putty appeared. "What the hell?" Zeke asked aloud. It looked like a giant video game from the arcade.  
"You! Red Ranger!" It shouted. "Embrace an old danger! This is not a mistake! I have been reformed just for your sake!"  
"I'm sorry," Zeke said. "Have we met?"  
"I am Pachinko Head! I'm no longer dead! We had so much fun together! I thought we were friends forever?"  
"Pachinko? I don't play that crap. My dad says it rots brains and ruins lives."  
"You're being so unkind! Don't leave the fun behind!"  
"Pachinko Head..." Josh mumbled. "He only spoke in rhyme and he turned the team into pachinko balls, with the exception of Tommy. Your dad was under a spell that made him only care about having fun... He took 'gaming addiction' to a whole new level."  
"I love it that you know all of the old monsters," Zeke said. "Does the Encyclopedia Joshtanica know how they defeated it?"  
"Zords."  
"Right. Alpha! We need the others!"  
"Aye-yi-yi! I'll alert them now," Alpha replied.  
Zeke hoped they'd arrive quickly.  
KENNY  
He was sitting at the dining room table working on his required summer reading list as his mother finished cooking. Suddenly, the communicator went off. "What the heck is that noise?" His father asked.  
"Um... New ringtone," Kenny replied quickly. "I think I need to do the rest of this upstairs... I'm exhausted."  
"You'll stay right here, Young Man."  
"Oh, Mark, can't you see how tired he is? He's been training so hard," his mom said quickly as he looked to her for help.  
"Fine... But I better not hear you on your phone. Leave it here."  
Kenny handed his cell phone over before grabbing his books and rushing up to his room. "I read you, Zordon," Kenny said.  
"Kenny, there's a monster attacking the town. Zeke, Maddie, and Josh need help," Zordon explained.  
"Got it," Kenny said. "It's Morphin Time! Pterodactyl!"  
He felt himself being teleported. He arrived as Katie, Sage, and Thorn did. They immediately joined their friends and called the Zords. As they formed the Megazord, they attacked the giant pachinko machine. They knocked it down and it fell apart.  
"Piece of cake!" Zeke said.  
"That was too easy," Katie said.  
"I agree. Something's up," Sage said. "Everyone, stay in formation until we're sure this is over."  
Kenny had a feeling they were right to worry. Something didn't feel right.  
Another monster appeared. This one had some kind of weapon for an arm. He looked a lot more modern and a hell of a lot scarier than anything they'd ever faced before.  
"Guys... I think we're in trouble," Kenny said.  
"It's small. We're fine," Zeke said.  
"They never stay small," Thorn pointed out.  
Sure enough, the monster grew to an impressive height, and Kenny knew they were in real trouble.  
ANGELINE  
She stood looking down on the Power Rangers as her first monster attacked. "He's lovely, Angeline," Merkhet said. "Much more terrifying than the monsters we've been recycling from your parents. What do you call him?"  
"Firearm," Angeline replied. Not only was his arm a weapon, but it was a flamethrower.  
"You've done well, Child. But it's time."  
"Time for what?"  
"To make it bigger, of course."  
"Merkhet... I'm not ready for that level of magic yet."  
"You can do this, my dear. I have faith in you. Just point and say the words."  
Angeline aimed her wand toward the Earth. "By the Powers of Darkness... Make. My. Monster. Grow!"  
It certainly worked. The monster quadrupled in size instantly. It immediately hit the Megazord with such force, the Rangers were ejected. Firearm turned toward them and began firing on them. The explosion of one of the cars near them made the Blue Ranger freeze in terror.  
"Scared of a little explosion, Blue?" Firearm asked.  
"Josh!" The White Ranger screamed.  
At first, Angeline didn't think anything of that. Josh was a common name. However, when Firearm shot a blast off at the Blue Ranger, it knocked him out of his morph.  
"Josh?" Angeline whispered in horror. Josh was the Blue Ranger? The only person who'd ever showed her true kindness was one of her mortal enemies? She couldn't process that.  
"Josh, watch out!" The Pink Ranger shouted.  
Josh was clearly unconscious. He was a sitting duck, and his team wouldn't reach him in time. Angeline did the only thing she could. She teleported herself back to Earth and dove in front of him.  
"Stop!" She commanded Firearm.  
"But Sorceress, he is mine to destroy!" Firearm argued.  
"I am your Princess! You answer to me! Now, retreat!"  
"Yes, Sorceress."  
Angeline knew she'd screwed up. They'd be furious with her... But it was Josh. She couldn't kill him. Not yet. Not until she understood how the boy who'd become her only friend could be part of the team that had cost her her family.  
She fled before the other Rangers could reach her and teleported herself back to the group home. She'd avoid her punishment for as long as she could.  
SAGE  
She reached Josh first. "He's okay," she said to the others. Josh was cut up, but she could take care of that. Sage had some skill with healing, a trait she shared with her mother that came from her Native American roots.  
"I... What happened?" He asked as he came around.  
"You took a bad hit. It knocked you out of your morph," Thorn explained.  
"Are you okay?" Kenny asked frantically.  
"I believe so," Josh said cautiously.  
"You scared us," Maddie said. She looked like she wanted to fling her arms around him, but they all knew Josh shied away from physical contact most of the time.  
"Who was the girl who called the monster off?" Katie asked.  
"The Sorceress," Sage said. "The one Zordon warned us about."  
"Why would the person who's sending the monsters save one of us?" Kenny asked.  
"Maybe she didn't think it was the right time?" Thorn suggested.  
"Something's off... It was like she specifically didn't want it to hurt Josh," Katie said.  
"Maybe she's got a thing for ner- brainy guys," Zeke suggested. Maddie punched his arm for what he'd nearly called Josh.  
"Unlikely," Josh said. "I fear it's part of some larger plan, although I can't imagine what."  
"Let's get you home," Sage said. She regretted her choice of words immediately, seeing as how Josh lived in a place he never considered home, but he didn't correct her.  
ROCKY  
He was barely able to get his car to Casey's garage before it died. "Again, Rocky?" Casey asked as he got out of the vehicle. "I just fixed your poor car two weeks ago!"  
This was normal. Rocky had been bringing his cars to Casey since they were teenagers. "It's not my fault," he said.  
"It never is."  
"Seriously! I got distracted... I thought I saw Pachinko Head running toward the city, but that's insane."  
"Did you call the children?"  
"No. We destroyed that evil monster. I must have imagined it, because it's impossible."  
"Rocky, nothing is impossible in Angel Grove, especially not anymore."  
"Well, either way, I need you to fix my car."  
"Of course." She started working on it.  
Suddenly, Rocky felt something that seemed off. A moment later, something crashed out of the sky and fell toward the Earth.  
"What the hell?" Rocky asked as he knocked Casey out of the way before it could hit her.  
Casey was struggling to catch her breath as she looked at the object at their feet. It was a package. "I didn't know Fed Ex delivered packages from outer space," Rocky said dryly. "Should we open it?"  
"It could be dangerous. Let me," Casey said. She touched the box, apparently working her crazy Shaman magic and getting a read on it. Finally, she opened it. Rocky stared at it with her.  
"Glasses?" He asked aloud. "What the hell are glasses doing falling out of the sky?"  
Casey's face turned unreadable. "I'm not sure," she said.  
"Casey... Those... Those kind of look like... Like Billy's glasses."  
"They're mocking us. Taunting us with a symbol of what we've lost."  
"Where could they have come from?"  
"I don't know, Rocky."  
"I thought the great Casey knew all?"  
"Not this... I'm sure they just want to hurt everyone. Don't tell the others."  
"Casey... Why not?"  
"Because we shouldn't upset them needlessly. Especially not Josh."  
Rocky sighed. "Okay... But what if...?"  
"He's gone, Rocky. He's not coming back."  
Rocky nodded. "I know... It's just so hard to accept sometimes. I mean... It's Billy. If anyone could have figured out a way to survive that, it's him."  
"I miss him, too... But he isn't coming back, Rocky. We have to accept that if we're ever going to move on."  
Rocky felt guilty moving on. Billy never would have given up on them... But he knew he had to, for the sake of the kids. The world of the Power Rangers had killed his friend and he hated that his son was now a part of it. Every day, Rocky feared Zeke wouldn't come home. His ex-wife had abandoned them both when Zeke was ten. It was hard raising his son on his own, but he would lose the last of his sanity if anything happened to Zeke. He was his little sidekick, his best friend, his universe... And every day, he put his life on the line against something whose sole purpose was to destroy him and his friends. Nothing scared Rocky as much as that did.  
He pulled himself together. He had to be strong for Zeke. He had to accept that there would be no happy ending where Billy was concerned.  
BILLY  
He had taken a risk. Billy couldn't remember much of anything. They kept erasing his memories, but thinking of Josh always brought the rest back. No matter what they did, they couldn't make him forget his son.  
He's dead, Billy reminded himself. Josh is dead. They showed you the house. They laughed when they told you what happened...  
He shook his head. He couldn't focus on that now. He had a precious moment of clarity. That was all too rare lately. They were distracted. He heard them going on about the Princess going rogue on a mission. He had one chance, and it might all be for nothing, but he had to try.  
He grabbed the box he'd spotted and put his glasses in. They'd given him a special pair that held up to explosions so he could see when they forced him to work for them. He didn't need his old pair... But he prayed someone in Angel Grove would recognize them.  
He tossed the box toward Earth through one of the small portals he'd seen them use before. The box vanished and he hoped it would find its way to someone who would understand... Someone who would come looking for him and get him out of this God-forsaken place.  
"I have a potion for you to examine," Merkhet declared as she walked into the room. She eyed him suspiciously. "What are you doing?"  
"Nothing," Billy replied.  
"Who are you?"  
"No one," he said. "I'm no one."  
"Correct. And what is your purpose?"  
"I live to serve thee, Mistress."  
"Good. Then you won't mind activating Protocol Six-oh-three."  
Billy twitched. Destroy Kimberly Hart, his mind whispered. Billy bit his lip as he struggled to fight the command.  
"Do it," Merkhet said.  
"No!" Billy cried out as he fought for control of his mind.  
"Oh? Perhaps the boy, then. Activate Six-oh-four!"  
Suddenly, the only thought in Billy's head was murdering Kenny. Who was Kenny again? Just another worthless Power Ranger... Certainly not his Godson...  
Stop, Billy silently begged his mind. When the thoughts became louder, he screamed, "Stop it! I won't do it! I won't hurt them!"  
"They forgot about you, Billy." Merkhet said cruelly. "They left you here to rot!"  
"No!"  
"Then why has no one come to rescue you? You don't matter, Billy." She laughed. "Now... You're remembering, aren't you? Let's fix that."  
"No... No, please-" Billy begged, but it was no use. He screamed as the first jolt of electricity shot through his body. He struggled to hold onto something... Anything...  
Tommy. Jason. Zordon... More electricity shot through him, and they were gone. Kim... Kimberly... Merkhet hit him with another round at a higher voltage. When he kept screaming and fighting, she broke out a whip and beat him until his back was raw. Then she fried him with more electricity, and Billy forgot what he'd been holding on to.  
Josh... He thought. He whispered his son's name aloud. It was his mantra.  
"Josh is dead," Merkhet reminded him. "You blew him up!"  
Something inside of Billy broke all over again and he stopped fighting after that.  
JOSH  
He was working on a science project when several of the boys came into the room. "Oh, look, the nerd's reading," the ring-leader, Kevin, said. Kevin was nearly eighteen. In another three weeks, Josh wouldn't have to deal with him anymore. He kept telling himself that. Whatever Kevin dished out until then, he could handle, because there was an end in sight.  
There were six of them. All but two were older than Josh. The other two were strong enough that their age didn't stop them from being threats.  
One of them knocked Josh's textbook out of his hands. Another picked him up by his shirt so the others could take turns hitting him. After five or so minutes of this, Josh was bleeding and knew it would only get worse. As Kevin went to hit him with a broom handle, Josh threw exactly one punch. It connected with Kevin's nose hard. He felt the bones shift and heard Kevin curse and knew he'd broken his nose.  
The other boys jumped to Kevin's aid. Josh crawled to a corner to try and catch his breath. He kept his back to the wall, making sure no one came near him. He was more than capable of beating the hell out of these morons, but he always chose not to. Violence wouldn't solve anything. Besides, he was a Power Ranger. He was a lot stronger than all of them, and he could seriously hurt them. He refused to risk that... But Kevin had gone too far.  
Kevin fled the room with his entourage of idiots, which Josh knew couldn't be good. A few minutes later, the one voice he'd prayed he wouldn't hear said, "Josh... We need to talk."  
Ian, Josh thought. Of course.  
He was shaking as Ian demanded he follow him back to his office. "I understand you attacked Kevin," Ian began. "That's a very serious offense, Josh. His nose is broken."  
"I was defending myself," Josh said. "They jumped me... Look at me. Clearly, I was attacked."  
"Be that as it may, the answer is never to respond with more violence. You're forbidden to leave the house except for approved reasons such as your summer course at school or medical visits. You will spend extra time in therapy until we sort this out and you prove you can be trusted."  
"I'm sorry," Josh said quickly. "Please-"  
"Josh, you know the rules. Don't be so upset. I'm here to help." Ian put a hand on Josh's arm. Josh cringed and forced himself to breathe. He wouldn't give Ian the satisfaction of watching him panic. "Let me take care of you, Josh." Ian lifted up his shirt and studied his injuries. "Poor baby... They really hurt you. It's okay, Josh. You'll be fine." Ian stroked one of Josh's new bruises too intimately. Josh knew exactly where this was going. As Ian's hand traveled lower, Josh kept his breathing even so Ian wouldn't notice the tears running down his cheeks.  
THE NEXT DAY.  
JASON  
His decision to return to Angel Grove had been an easy one. Jason came home several times a year anyway, and Tampa had never quite felt right to him. The only reason he'd stayed there had been for his wife and their four sons. After Billy's death, Jason felt like he needed to return home, but he didn't want to uproot his family. However, when he realized Putties had returned to Angel Grove and his friends' children were becoming the next generation of Power Rangers, he couldn't stay away anymore.  
Luckily for Jason, his wife Rebecca and their boys had been more than ready for a change of pace. They were on board one hundred percent when he finally asked them how they'd feel about returning to the place he still considered home.  
Becky stood with him now as they watched Oliver playing baseball. At nearly fifteen, Ollie was the oldest of the boys, and he was skilled at pretty much every sport he tried to play. The next in line, Luke, was eleven and was becoming as gifted in Martial Arts as his father. Vinny, their second youngest at nine, was shy and quiet. He usually spent his time reading. Since Becky was just as athletically inclined and active as Jason, they weren't sure where Vinny had come from. The baby, Robby, was four and seemed to enjoy nothing quite as much as running around like a tiny maniac. He was doing that now while Jason watched him out of the corner of his eye.  
"Slow down, Robby," Luke said. He grabbed his brother and scooped him up in his arms, delivering him back to his parents. "I think you lost this," he said with a laugh.  
Jason wrapped his youngest son in his arms and smiled. His family meant the world to him, although he'd always wanted a little girl to complete it. That didn't seem to be in the cards for him, but he was happy anyway. He couldn't have asked for better kids.  
His cell phone rang and Jason looked down at the Caller ID. He grinned as he picked it up while still keeping Robby from running off. "Hey, man, what's up?" He asked.  
"I was thinking of coming home for a visit," His old friend Zack replied. "If I bring the kids, are you up for the adventure?"  
"Of course! My boys miss your kids."  
"Cool. I was thinking we could-"  
"Is that Uncle Jason?" An excited voice asked. "Let me talk to him!"  
Zack let out a weak cry of protest as, Jason assumed, his phone was yanked from his hand. "Uncle Jason! It's Tamira! We're coming to see you guys! How's Ollie?"  
Jason laughed. "He's good, Tamira. He's pitching baseballs right now," he replied.  
"I can't wait to see hi- you guys!"  
It amused Jason greatly that Zack's thirteen-year-old appeared to be in love with his son. Every time the kids were near each other, she followed him around. Ah, young love, Jason thought to himself.  
"We miss you, too, Kiddo. Can I talk to your dad?" Jason asked.  
"Okay. Bye!" Tamira handed the phone back to Zack.  
"Sorry," Zack said with a laugh. "She's been asking about Ollie all month."  
"How are John and Tate?" Jason asked.  
"John's good. He did great in school this term. We're very proud. I can't believe he's heading into fourth grade already... And Tate... Well, Tate's seven. And slightly evil."  
"The babies always are. How's Chicago treating you?"  
"Same old, same old. How's Angel Grove?"  
"Putties, monsters, Power Rangers... So, you know, also same old, same old," Jason said with a laugh.  
Softer, so no one would hear him, Zack asked, "How are the kids doing?"  
"Amazing, from what I've seen and from what Tommy's said."  
"That's great. I'm glad to hear it. Maybe I can revisit the good old days when I come through."  
"It'll be good to see you... I know we visited you last year, but you haven't been back to Angel Grove since..."  
"Since the funeral. I know. It's hard, Jason. It's easy to pretend everything's fine when I'm home, but when I'm in Angel Grove, I'm constantly reminded about what happened to Billy. How's his son?"  
"Josh? He's okay, I think. I mean, it can't be easy for the kid living in a group home, but I think he manages."  
"I'll make sure to check on him when we come to town."  
"Are you bringing Elena?"  
"Oh, no, I thought I'd pick up some other girl for the week," Zack said with a laugh. "Yeah, Jase, I'm bringing my wife."  
"Becky will be happy to see her. It's been too long." Robby began squirming in his lap. "I gotta go, Zack. I think the tiny monster's about to escape and destroy the world."  
"Tell everyone hi for me." Zack hung up.  
Jason looked at Robby. "If I let you go, will you sit still?" He asked.  
"No," Robby replied honestly.  
Jason shook his head. "I figured. Come on, kid. Let's see your best fighting stance!" He released his son.  
Robby got into his toughest position and screamed out, "Ay-ya!"  
Jason got into position, too, and began sparring with his youngest boy. He kept this up, still watching Ollie's game, until they won. Robby forgot all about Martial Arts after that and ran to his big brother to celebrate. Jason watched with pride. His life might be kind of chaotic, but he wouldn't trade it for anything.  
KATIE  
She watched as Kenny and Josh came toward her. Josh stared at his feet as he walked and refused to look up. "Look at her, Josh," Kenny said gently.  
Josh reluctantly looked up. "Who gave you that black eye?" Katie demanded.  
"It's nothing," Josh insisted.  
"Bull!"  
"It's just some of the kids at the group home... They're jerks."  
"Did you tell anyone?"  
"No. They ratted me out because I broke one of their noses."  
"Good for you!"  
"It was stupid. Now I'm in trouble. I'm on lockdown."  
"For defending yourself? Screw that!"  
Katie wondered why none of their parents had taken Josh in. Infuriated, she decided to find out. "Take care of him for a few," she said to Kenny. She walked off and called her father.  
"Dad, why the hell didn't any of you step up for Josh?" She demanded without preamble.  
"We tried, Katie," her father said in surprise. "Your mom and I tried, Kim and Mark tried, Casey and Adam tried... Even Jason stepped up. They wouldn't let any of us take him in. They said his trauma and his extreme level of intelligence made him a special needs case and none of us were qualified. And without a will..."  
"Wait... Billy didn't have a will? I don't buy that."  
"The one they found listed his wife as Josh's guardian if anything happened to him."  
"There's no way Billy didn't update his will after she died. He was way too smart to overlook something like that."  
"I agree, but we never found it. Trust me, we looked. All of us hate that he's stuck in a group home... But what made you ask?"  
"He needs out of there, Dad. He's getting his ass kicked and he defended himself and they pretty much put him on house arrest."  
"I'll see if I can do anything for him. Is he okay?"  
"I don't think so, but he's trying to brush it off."  
"Just keep an eye on him, Katie. And tell him to call me the next time he runs into trouble."  
"Okay. I should get back to him. Love you, Dad."  
"Love you, too, Punk."  
They hung up. Katie headed back toward her friends. She saw Josh lift his arm to reach for something and bite his lip in pain. "You're hurt worse than you admitted," Katie said. She reached out to lift his shirt to check him. Josh automatically hit her hand hard and jumped away from her. He was trembling.  
"Ouch..." Katie mumbled. She looked at him with concern.  
"I... I'm sorry," Josh said. "I just don't like to be touched."  
"It's okay. I shouldn't have done that. I know you like your personal space. I'm sorry," Katie said. She hadn't meant to freak him out.  
Josh shook his head and hesitated for a second before reaching out and gently touching her hand. "I know you're just trying to help," he said. "I'm okay, Katie. Try not to worry about me so much."  
She wished it were that easy, but she couldn't help it. Also, she couldn't stop thinking about how strange it was that Children's Services had refused to even consider allowing any of the people who'd stepped up to take Josh in. Something very suspicious was going on here. As a thousand conspiracy theories ran through her head, Katie decided she'd get to the bottom of it, one way or another.


	3. Chapter Three

MADDIE

There wasn't much that Maddie was afraid of. She prided herself on being fearless, although that wasn't quite true. The thing that made her "fearless" wasn't that she was unafraid, but the fact that she never let her fear stop her. Today, she was BASE jumping. It was a great rush, and she was looking forward to it. Her partner for the day was not quite as excited.

"Maddie... Not to hose your buzz or anything..." Zeke began. "But are you sure this won't kill us?"

"I've done it before and I'm still here," Maddie said cheerfully. "Although nothing in life is guaranteed."

"You are so not helping... If we were meant to jump off cliffs, we'd have been born with wings."

"That's what parachutes are for." She grinned at him. "Come on, Zeke. Live a little."

"I'd like to. That's why I'm reluctant to do this."

"Just shush for a minute. Look at that view. It's beautiful, right?"

"Well, yeah..."

"So let's get a closer look. You're a Power Ranger, Zeke. I've seen you face actual monsters without blinking. Are you seriously going to tell you this is scarier for you?"

"Alright... I'll try it."

"That's the spirit! Come on." She took his hand. Then she pulled him closer to the edge, making sure he was in a good position before jumping. She still held his hand, taking him with her.

"Oh shit!" Zeke screamed. "Holy shit!" After a few moments of this, he began screaming, "Whoo-hoo! Hell yeah!"

She let go of him when it was time to open their parachutes. Maddie's opened cleanly. A few scary seconds later, Zeke finally got his to open, too. They landed safely a little while later.

"We're alive," Maddie said with a smirk.

"That was insane!" Zeke said. "Can we do it again?"

"My, how far you've come." She pulled him into a hug.

"Where'd you get this crazy streak?"

"Mom always says life is only worth living if you actually experience it... So I try to experience everything. Or maybe it comes from my father, whoever he is."

"Tanya still won't tell you?"

"I'm pretty sure she'll never tell anyone... It's okay, though. I have my mom, and she's amazing. I don't need a dad."

"You should still know who he is... He's part of you." He paused. "And I have my dad, and he's great, but sometimes I really wish my mom was still around."

Zeke never talked about anything this serious. Maddie was surprised. "It's different for you," she said. "You knew your mom. I never met my dad. It's not like I can miss a stranger... Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Zeke said quickly. "Sometimes, parents leave. It's no big deal. At least she's alive, last I heard... Josh has it worse. He lost both his parents."

"It's not a competition, Zeke."

"I know. I just refuse to feel sorry for myself. I've got my dad. That's more than enough ninety-nine percent of the time."

Their communicators began to go off. "We're here. What's up?" Zeke answered his, effectively ending their conversation.

"Rangers! A wicked beast is attacking in the park. Aye-yi-yi!" Alpha replied.

"What kind of beast?" Maddie asked.

"It's some sort of cross between a wolf and a bird... It's tearing apart everything in its path."

"Beam us up, Alpha," Zeke said. They morphed.

Moments later, they arrived at the scene. Sage and Thorn were already in the middle of the battle. Kenny, Josh, and Katie arrived seconds later. The flying wolf immediately dove toward Katie. She dodged the attack with ease, but it got too close for Maddie's comfort.

They called in the Zords as the monster suddenly grew before their eyes. The thing was huge now. It took to the air and flew at the Megazord.

Everything shook as it hit. Maddie was nearly knocked over. Zeke steadied her automatically. "Katie, watch out!" Kenny shouted as the monster tried to attack the White Tigerzord. Katie reacted quickly, knocking the monster away from her Zord.

They hit the monster hard and Maddie thought they had it beat, but as it fell, it angled itself toward the Dragonzord. It hit and knocked the Dragonzord down. Sage was ejected instantly.

"Sage!" Thorn screamed as she flew through the air.

"I've got her," Katie said as the White Tigerzord rushed toward Sage. Before she could reach her, however, there was an explosion. The Dragonzord remained on the ground, but the monster vanished... And so did Sage.

THORN

He stared at the place where his sister had been. "What just happened?" Zeke demanded. "Where's Sage?"

They exited their Zords and demorphed. Thorn continued to stare, not sure what he'd just witnessed. Josh was trembling. "Not again..." He whispered.

"Josh..." Kenny said gently.

"I have to go," Josh said. He ran off before anyone could stop him.

"Sage..." Katie whispered.

"She's okay," Maddie insisted. "She has to be."

"Then where is she?" Zeke asked again.

It was a pretty good question. Thorn couldn't feel her. That had never happened before. They were twins. Did the fact that he couldn't feel her mean that she'd been killed in the blast? No... No, that was impossible. He'd know if Sage was dead... Wouldn't he?

"She's okay," his mother said as she ran toward them with his father and his Uncle Tommy and Aunt Kat.

"Okay? She just blew up!" Katie shouted.

"This is part of Sage's journey," his mother insisted. "She'll be back."

"Casey, I think we need a little more information here," Tommy said.

"I can't, Tommy... Sage must walk this path alone."

"But... Where is she, Casey?" Thorn's father asked. He looked as broken as Thorn felt.

"Somewhere we cannot follow. She will return. I promise."

"That's not good enough!" Katie shouted. "Your hippie bullshit won't cut it this time, Aunt Casey! My cousin is missing! Tell us how to fucking find her!"

"Katie, don't curse at your aunt," Kat said.

"She knows where Sage is! She needs to stop keeping secrets from everyone!"

"Katie... I know this is difficult for you," Thorn's mother said carefully. "Please understand that I'm telling you as much as I can. Sage has to walk this path."

"Is this a Shaman thing?" Thorn's father asked.

"It is. We cannot interfere. She has to make it back to us on her own."

"Screw that! What if Sage doesn't want to be a Shaman? We're a team! She needs us!" Katie insisted.

"Katie, there are some things we don't understand," Tommy said. "My sister does."

"Forget this... I'm out of here." Katie ran off. Kenny ran after her.

Maddie and Zeke left together. That left Thorn's family. "Thorn... Are you okay?" His father asked.

Thorn shrugged before walking away, too. There was nothing to say. His twin was gone, there was no telling when she'd be back, and his mother wasn't volunteering any information. He'd never felt so alone in his life.

ADAM

For the first time in his life, Adam was pretty pissed off at his wife. In the many years they'd been together, Adam and Casey rarely fought. They had a fairly perfect marriage. Normally, he rolled with her Shaman beliefs very well, but this was different. This was their daughter.

"She'll be back, Adam," Casey said again.

"I know," Adam said quickly. He didn't want to upset her. This must be hard on her, too... But he was struggling not to demand she tell him where Sage was and how they could rescue her immediately.

"Casey, this isn't okay," Tommy said sharply. "You can't just wave this off."

"Every Shaman must face death to come into their power. It's time. I was younger. I was only seven," Casey said.

"What if she's not a Shaman?"

"Only a Shaman can hold the Green Ranger power. Anyone else might be corrupted by it. The original destiny of the Green Ranger was the path of evil."

"I know that!" Tommy snapped. "And I chose differently and have worked my ass off proving I'm a force of good ever since."

"Tommy... I didn't mean to imply-"

"You did more than imply."

"Tommy, your sister knows you're not evil," Kat said quickly. "She saved you, and she saved the power before it could be destroyed."

"Forget it. Just... Just tell me when Sage comes back. I'm going to go find our daughter." Tommy stormed off.

"He's just upset," Kat said apologetically before running after her husband.

"He hates me," Casey said sadly.

"He doesn't," Adam insisted. "It's Tommy. You guys fight. He'll get over it."

"Will you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Will you get over your anger?"

"I'm not mad, Casey."

"Never lie to a Shaman. It's pointless. I'm sorry, Adam. I know you don't understand why it has to be this way." She shook her head and walked away.

Left alone, Adam stared at the place where Sage had been. His heart hurt. He tried so hard to take things on faith, but what if that wasn't enough this time? He couldn't shake the feeling that wherever Sage was, her entire life was about to change.

ANGELINE

She was walking back to her room from the bathroom when someone cornered her. "Hey, Witch Girl," Jeremy said.

Angie tried to walk by him. He grabbed her arm and flung her toward the wall. "You know, beneath all that goth shit, you're kind of hot." He pressed his body against hers. Angie could have screamed for help. It probably would have woken someone up. Instead, she felt the magic flowing through her hands. All she had to do was let go and this idiot would regret the day he ever decided to cross her.

"Let. Me. Go." Angie said firmly.

"Nah, bitch. We're gonna have some fun."

She was ready to attack when someone yanked Jeremy off of her violently. "Back off!" Josh said sharply.

Angie stared at him in shock. She hadn't needed saving, but Josh didn't know that. She watched as he swung his fist toward Jeremy, who fought back. She knew she should do something, but she also knew now that Josh could handle himself. After all, he was a Power Ranger. He was her mortal enemy... Her mortal enemy who'd just risked getting into serious trouble to protect her from a creep.

Josh was holding his own well until Jeremy hit him with a cheap shot in the gut. He doubled over and Angie realized he must have already been injured.

"Fag!" Jeremy shouted, knocking Josh to the ground. He started kicking Josh in that same spot. "Mind your own business!"

Josh was clearly struggling not to cry out. Angie lost control. The group home began to shake. "Earthquake!" Someone shouted from one of the rooms.

Angie flung one of the tables in the hallway toward Jeremy with her mind. It hit him hard, knocking him away from Josh. Jeremy stared at her.

"You were right, Jeremy," Angie said. "This is fun."

"Witch bitch!" Jeremy screamed.

"Right again! Gold stars for you! Remember that the next time you want to fuck with me, or with him." She paused. "Speak of this to no one, or you'll wish I killed you."

Jeremy looked appropriately terrified. He nodded quickly. Angie stopped the earthquake after pinning him with a large sculpture. Several people ran into the hall.

"Is everyone okay?" Cindy, the oldest girl in the group home, asked. She saw two things right away, Jeremy pinned beneath the sculpture and the youngest girl in the home, ten-year-old Lexa, sobbing in terror. Cindy went to the cute boy first.

"It's okay, Lexa," Angie said gently. The kid had only been there for a week. She'd been deemed a problem child because she had refused to speak since surviving the car accident that had killed her parents one year earlier. She spent her nights screaming from night terrors. No family could handle her, so they'd dumped her in this hell hole where no one gave a damn about her. Angie felt sorry for the kid. "It's over now. You're safe," she promised the little girl.

She pulled the girl closer to her as the staff finally showed their faces. They began checking the others. Ian looked like he was going to go straight to Josh, but then Cindy cried out, "Jeremy's trapped! I can't lift this thing off of him!" Ian helped her instead.

Angie knelt beside Josh. "Are you okay?" She asked.

Josh shook his head. She watched him cough up blood. "Lexa, can you keep a secret?" She asked the mute girl. Lexa nodded. "Good. Help me help him up and don't tell anyone where we've gone." Lexa nodded again, helping Josh stay on his feet as Angie pulled him up. Leaving Lexa, she began pulling him down the hall to her secret place. Angie had created a room only she could enter. Now she was bringing her mortal enemy inside.

"Just hang on, Josh," she said. "You'll be okay." He coughed up more blood in response. Angie began digging through her supplies until she found the healing potion she needed. "Drink this. It'll help."

Josh stared at the greenish purplish drink and hesitated. "I promise it'll fix you," Angie said gently. He nodded and began to drink it. Angie supposed he figured it couldn't possibly make him worse than he already was.

After a minute, Josh took a deep breath. He followed this up with several more. He wasn't coughing now. "What was that?" He asked.

"An herbal remedy." Angie replied. It wasn't exactly a lie... Josh just probably hadn't heard of most of the herbs before because they came from other realms.

"You... You caused that earthquake." It wasn't an accusation, and he didn't seem to be afraid. He was simply stating a fact.

"Yes. I did. I didn't mean to, but he was really hurting you, and I lost control."

"Incredible! You have the ability to manipulate matter and mass with your mind!"

"Um... Yeah, I guess. I can make things move. When I get upset, things shake or fly... I can do a lot of impossible things. It's why no one keeps me... They're afraid of me." She paused. "Are you?"

"No," Josh said immediately. "Some people are born with gifts. We may not understand how they work, but there's a scientific reason for everything."

"You don't think freaks need to be destroyed?"

"Not all of them," he said with a slight smile. "And you're not a freak, Angeline. You're just different. You saved my life."

"I wouldn't go that far, and I owed you for saving me from that asshole."

"You didn't owe me anything. No one should ever be forced to go through that." He looked haunted and Angie knew he spoke from experience. Suddenly, she wanted to destroy anyone who'd ever hurt this kind-hearted, broken boy.

"Will you keep my secret, Josh?" She asked.

"Of course I will. It's not my secret to tell."

Angie kissed his cheek. He only jumped slightly, but she still noticed it. "Thanks for being my hero tonight," she said.

"I'm no hero," he said.

Liar, she thought. Power Rangers prided themselves on thinking they were heroes. Still, she couldn't hate him, even if she was supposed to. He was the only person who'd ever risked their own safety to protect her. Josh was her friend, and until he discovered her true identity and probably turned on her, she'd continue to treat him as such.

THE NEXT DAY.

KENNY

It was hard to focus with Sage having been blown up, but he had to try. Everything was riding on him perfecting this routine. He slipped on the pommel horse as he saw the explosion again in his mind.

An explosion just like that had killed his Godfather. Or had it? Kenny still had his doubts. Like his mother, he was someone who never gave up hope. There hadn't been a body. Billy was smart. Maybe he'd survived somehow... But if he had, why would he leave Josh? Kenny knew he'd never do it willingly. Did that mean someone had him held hostage? Had he been blown into some other place like Casey was saying Sage had been?

Casey said he's gone, Kenny thought. Gone, not here, never coming back... But she never said he was dead. He was clinging to semantics, but maybe he was on to something. What if her word choice had been deliberate? If Sage could blow up and be fine, why couldn't Billy?

"Penny for a Kenny Thought?" Katie asked. He jumped and slipped again. She caught him before he could fall and hit his head. "Are you okay?"

"I think Billy's alive," Kenny blurted out.

Katie's eyes went wide. "Seriously?" She asked. "Kenny-"

"The only proof of his supposed death is that Casey said he was gone. Gone, not dead. What if there's more to it?"

"Kenny... Shit. With how she acted about Sage, I wouldn't put anything past her."

"But why would she let us all grieve his death?"

"She's a bitch? I don't know... But if she'll tell anyone the truth, it's Josh. He needs to ask her."

"We can't tell Josh this. What if I'm wrong?"

"Do you think you're wrong?"

Kenny sighed. "No. I feel it with everything in me, Katie. Billy's not dead."

"Then it's time we get some answers. I'll talk to Josh. You... Try to rest. You're exhausted."

"There's a big competition this weekend. I have to practice."

"You have to sleep sometimes, Kenny. Okay?"

"I can sleep after the competition's over."

"Take it easy, Pinky. Alright?"

"I'll try."

"At least let me feed you."

Food sounded good. Kenny couldn't remember his last meal. "Okay," he agreed. "Thanks, Katie."

"Anytime. Someone's got to have your back, and I'm currently the only team leader, so it's me."

"You take care of me anyway."

"You're Kim's. Olivers take care of Harts." She smiled at him, and Kenny gave her a quick hug. He hoped they were on to something, because if they weren't, he would be responsible for breaking Josh all over again.

JOSH

He looked at Katie curiously. "What's so important?" He asked her.

"Josh..." Katie sighed. "Kenny thinks your dad might still be alive."

Josh stared at her. "What?" He asked.

"He made some valid points, Josh... We never found him."

"Because when someone is that close to an explosion, there's nothing left." He shook his head, trying not to flash back on the worst moment of his life.

"Josh, just... Humor me."

"No," Josh said firmly. "I was there, Katie. I watched my dad die."

"Did you actually see him?"

"I saw the spot he was standing in explode. That was enough. The details are a bit sketchy. I had massive head trauma."

"I know..." Katie paused. "Josh... If there's a chance-"

"There's not! Do you have any idea how long it took them to convince me he was gone? I refused to believe it... But the evidence finally convinced me. He's gone. He's not coming back. Casey even told me that."

"Exactly. Casey said he's gone... Not that he's dead. What if there's more to it?"

"Katie, I can't do this."

"If there's even the slightest chance that your dad's still alive, you have to try, Josh. We owe him that much."

Josh felt like he was getting kicked in the gut again. "How do I find out?" He forced himself to ask.

"Go talk to my aunt."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I'm on lockdown... For fighting. Remember?"

"So you defend yourself and they punish you... It's total bullshit... You really need to get out of this place."

"Agreed... But I don't have any other options."

"Maybe that'll change. Your dad must have had an updated will... But who would he trust to be the witness?"

"It's not Kimberly. She's too obvious... Dad was a little paranoid after Mom died. Besides, Kim would have gotten me out of here by now if she knew where the will was."

"So someone he trusted who no one would suspect..."

"Trini," Josh and Katie said at the same time.

"She's on the other side of the world," Josh said. "She'd be the last person anyone would think of, but they were very close. And Trini probably doesn't know I'm here. She had to leave right after the funeral. I was still in the hospital. She's not in touch with most of the others much... She may know what the will said and which lawyers have a copy."

"I'll get in touch with her. I know Kim still talks to her sometimes. She should have her number," Katie said. "I'll have Aunt Casey come see you since you can't go to her."

"Okay," Josh said nervously. Was it possible? He couldn't allow himself to hope, but he had to know for certain.

An hour later, Casey walked into the group home. "Josh," she said. "Katie said you needed to see me. Are you alright?"

"Not really," Josh admitted. "Casey, I need to ask you something, and I need you to be honest... Is my father still alive?"

Casey hesitated, and Josh expected her to tell him how sorry she was for his loss. Instead, she sighed. "Yes, Josh. Billy's alive."

He froze. She couldn't have said that. He was hallucinating. "What?" He whispered.

"I'm so sorry, Josh. I couldn't tell you. Your father is gone. He's somewhere we can never follow. He's lost to us. I thought it was kinder to let you all believe he was dead so you could mourn him properly."

"My dad's... alive?" Josh asked. "And you didn't tell me?"

"We can't rescue him. He is beyond our reach. It's crueler to know that-"

"No it isn't!" Josh snapped. "This is my father!"

He was crying. He hated himself for that, but he didn't know what else to do. His dad was alive. The last three years of hell had been for nothing.

"Josh, please understand-"

"I don't understand. I can't." He shook his head. This couldn't be happening.

"Josh, sweetheart-"

"No! Just stay away from me!" Josh ran. He didn't know where he was going, only that he needed desperately to get away from this place.

He kept running, as fast as his feet would carry him, until he reached a hill that kept him hidden but gave him a perfect view of the neighborhood he'd grown up in. A brand new house stood where his home had been. A different family lived there now. He had no home. He had nothing.

He couldn't go back to the group home. He'd run away. The punishment would be too severe. Josh shuddered as he thought about what would happen once Ian got him alone. He shouldn't have run. Now he was screwed.

It had all been for nothing. The beatings from other kids... The emotional abuse from staff... The things Ian did to him when they were alone in his office... And Ian hadn't been the first. Josh had known for a while that he would never truly be safe. Three years had been wasted grieving when he should have been searching for his father. He didn't care what Casey said. There had to be a way to save his father, and he was sure as hell going to find it.

TOMMY

He knew something was wrong as soon as he saw his daughter's face. "What's wrong, Katie?" He asked.

"It's Josh, Dad," Katie said frantically. "Aunt Casey's a bitch and she's been lying to us all and Josh ran away from the group home because of it!"

"Back up. What happened?"

"Billy's not dead!"

Tommy felt like the floor had crumbled beneath his feet. He stared at her. "Katie, that's impossible."

"Casey admitted it to Josh!" She shook her head. "And now he's run off and it's my fault for making him talk to her in the first place. He'll get in serious trouble, Dad. They had him on lockdown."

"I'll find him." Tommy paused. Was it possible? Had his sister been lying to them for all of this time? He couldn't focus on that. Josh was in danger. He needed to find him. He could figure the rest out later.

"Okay... If I were Josh, where would I go?" He wondered aloud. His mind thought of libraries and school and the Command Center and a million other places, but none felt right. Then, he shook his head. "I'm an idiot."

"I'm glad to hear you admit that," Katie teased him.

"Shut up, Punk. He's just like Billy... And Billy would go home."

"But the house blew up."

"It doesn't matter. He still went there. I'm sure of it."

"Okay. Let's go."

Tommy didn't argue. When they arrived to the place Billy's house had once stood, there was no sign of Josh. "I was so sure..." Tommy mumbled.

"Dad... There's a hill in the park that's got a great view of this area. It would be a good place to hide," Katie said.

"You're brilliant," Tommy told her as they hurried to the park. Sure enough, Josh sat at the top of the hill, staring straight ahead.

"Josh..." Katie said gently.

He looked up at her with tears in his eyes. "It was all for nothing," he whispered.

"I'm sorry, Josh... But we're here for you, okay?"

"I'm going to get into so much trouble... I shouldn't have run... When they find me..."

"They won't. You can hide in the Command Center until we find your dad's will. Right, Dad?"

Tommy knew it was illegal, but the fear in Josh's eyes was enough to convince him. "Absolutely. We'll get you a sleeping bag or a cot or something," he said.

"I... I don't have to go back there?" Josh asked.

"No, Josh. You're never going back there. I don't care what it takes," Katie said confidently. Tommy knew if anyone could deliver on that promise, it was Katie. His daughter didn't know how to fail.

"Come on, Josh," Tommy said gently. "Let's get you to the Command Center. You'll be safe there." He knew Alpha and Zordon would take care of the kid. He just hoped that it would be temporary. If they found the will or if they brought Billy back, Josh wouldn't have to worry anymore.

Billy... Tommy thought. Billy's alive... As that began to sink in, Tommy knew he was in for a long couple of days because he would need to tell the others. First, however, he needed to have a talk with his sister.


	4. Chapter Four

TRINI

The last thing she'd expected was to get a call from the United States in the middle of the night. She recognized the area code and answered it quickly, concerned something terrible might have happened. The last time someone had called her in the middle of the night, she'd been told that her beloved friend Billy had been killed in a freak explosion.

Cautiously, Trini picked up the phone, trying to brace herself for whoever might be calling. "Hello?" She answered.

"Trini? It's Katie... Katie Oliver?" Katie replied.

"Tommy's little girl?" Trini asked.

"Not so little anymore. I need your help."

"Katie, it's the middle of the night here... What's wrong?"

"Sorry! I wasn't sure of the time difference. I should have checked. Look, Trini... Were you the witness to Billy's will?"

That had come out of left field. Trini paused. "Yes, Katie, I was. Why do you ask?"

"Do you have a copy?"

"No. Billy only kept one copy, and it was in his safe. He had this impressive safe in the basement that no one could break into. What's going on?"

"It's Josh, Trini... Josh is living in a group home, and it's awful, and we need that will to get him back."

"A group home? He was supposed to live with your parents!" Trini was horrified. Sweet little Josh was stuck in some group home with strangers? How had that happened?

"My parents tried to get custody. They were denied. So were Kim, Jason, and my aunt and uncle."

"Oh God... Poor Josh! What can I do?"

"Help us find it? You were a witness. You can verify if it's real once we do have it."

"Of course..."

"How soon can you come back to the States?"

"Give me a few hours... I need to talk to my husband and make sure he can take care of the kids for a while."

"Okay. Thank you so much, Trini. Josh is really in trouble. He needs help."

"Billy loved that boy more than anything. It's the least I can do."

"Um... Speaking of Billy... Trini, are you sitting down?"

"I am now..." She sat, not sure what shocking news Katie might be ready to throw at her.

"It turns out that Billy's not as dead as we thought."

"What?" Trini dropped her phone. It took her a minute to pick it back up. "I'm sorry... Did you just say...?"

"Billy's alive. Aunt Casey admitted she's been keeping it from us because of some stupid hippie reason I don't care about. There's no reason that's good enough. But you needed to know that before you came home."

"Are... Are you sure?"

"Yeah. We don't know where he is... But he's alive, Trini. And I'm going to find a way to bring him home."

When they hung up, Trini rushed to pack a bag. Her husband slept like the dead, but she woke him up now. "Cho... I have to go back to Angel Grove for a while," she said.

"What? Trini... What's going on?" He asked, trying to shake off his grogginess.

"I just found out two things... My friend Billy's son is living in a group home because they never found his will, and I'm the only witness who can try to help. Also... Billy may not be dead."

"Trini... I know his death upset you, but-"

"It seems he was declared dead without proof... And if he's out there... Billy is one of my oldest friends, Cho. I have to help him."

"I understand. How long will you be gone?"

"I'm not sure... Will you be able to manage without me for a bit?"

"I see how important this is to you. Take whatever time you need."

She kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Trini booked a flight she could make that wouldn't require her to leave before the kids woke up. She needed to say goodbye to them, especially since she wasn't sure how long she'd be gone. She hated to leave them, but this was about Billy. She had to help.

KIMBERLY

She'd been surprised when Tommy called and told her to go see him because they needed to talk. She had made him wait because Kenny had a gymnastics competition. After watching her son perform exceptionally well and earn a silver medal, Kimberly had gone to see Tommy.

"Kim... This is going to be hard to hear," Tommy began.

"Just tell me. What's wrong?" Kimberly asked.

"It's Billy, Kim... Billy's alive."

Kimberly stared at him. "That's not funny," she said.

"I'm not kidding." Tommy looked into her eyes and Kimberly knew he was serious.

"How?" She asked. She'd grieved for Billy for three years, but she'd secretly hoped this moment would come. That didn't mean she was ready to believe it was really happening.

"We don't know yet... Casey finally admitted she's known all along."

"Your sister knew? How could she just lie about something this important?"

"She didn't lie... She withheld." Tommy paused, then sighed. "Okay, it's the same thing. I'm sorry, Kim. I had no idea."

"Of course you didn't... You'd never have kept that from the rest of us." She shook her head. "You're sure?" She asked. "You're positive he's still alive?" She knew there were tears in her eyes.

Tommy nodded. "Yeah, Kim. We're positive."

"Oh my God..." She closed her eyes, trying not to imagine what horrible things Billy must be going through to keep him away from Josh. Tommy pulled her into his arms. His embrace was familiar and safe and Kimberly allowed herself to get lost in it for a moment. No matter what happened in their lives, Tommy had always been there for her. Even after she'd stupidly broken his heart with a poorly thought-out Dear John letter, he'd continued to be her rock whenever she needed him.

"I know this is a lot to handle," Tommy said gently, holding her even closer.

Kimberly forced herself to pull away from him. She needed answers, not hugs, no matter how comforting they were. "Where is he? We have to bring him home!"

"Casey doesn't think we can."

"I don't care! It's Billy, Tommy! We're not just leaving him lost for eternity!"

"I agree. Katie's determined to find him. So is Josh."

"He knows? Oh my God... Is he alright?"

"He's safe. He ran off when Casey told him the truth, but Katie and I found him. He's at the Command Center until we can figure out a way to legally keep him from going back to the group home."

"That poor kid... He's been through so much, Tommy."

"More than we know, I'm guessing." He sighed.

A new person joined them in the park. "Hey," Jason said. "What's up?"

"Jason..." Tommy began.

"Billy's alive!" Kimberly blurted out.

Jason stared at both of them for a moment before turning unreadable. Kimberly was mildly amused at the way Jason could still flip the switch into Red Ranger mode when things turned serious. "Where is he and what's our plan?"

"We don't know, and we have no plan," Tommy admitted. "Except that Katie's on it... But my kid's not a planner. She tends to act on instinct and impulse."

"Much like someone else we all know," Jason said. "Well, whatever happens, we're bringing him home."

Kimberly knew she should go home, but she was too shaken up to deal with Mark. She looked at Jason. "Can I crash with you tonight? I don't know how to explain this to Mark, and I just... I need a night to process it," she said.

"Sure, Kim. You know you're always welcome. Becky's out of town anyway. She'll be gone for the next month," Jason replied. "I don't mind the company."

"Thanks. Just let me call home." She stepped away and dialed Mark's number.

"Where are you?" Mark answered.

"I told you I was meeting up with someone quick," Kimberly replied. "I need to stay over Jason's tonight. He needs a babysitter."

"Can't he hire someone?"

"He's in a bind, Mark, and you know I love his boys."

"Fine, fine... Just come home tomorrow?"

"Of course. I love you."

"Love you, too." Mark hung up. Kimberly hoped he wasn't drinking. Sometimes it was hard to tell over the phone.

"Come on, Kim. You look like you need some rest," Jason said.

Kimberly looked toward Tommy, but she wasn't sure what to say. "We'll get him back, Kim," Tommy said, reading her thoughts. "I promise you, we'll find a way."

JOSH

He had tried not to sleep. He knew what would happen if he did. Unfortunately, exhaustion finally made him black out. He dreamed of the group home. He was alone, in a dark room, helpless.

"Let me make it all better," Ian said in the dark.

"No..." Josh whispered.

"It's okay. I can fix you. Everything's alright, Josh. Don't be afraid. I care about you very much." He could feel his hands on him. He could feel other things as well. Somewhere nearby, Kevin and the other boys laughed at him. Ian's hands undressed him.

"Stop!" Josh screamed. "Stop it! No!"

"Take it like a man, Baby Boy..." Ian said seductively. "You know this makes you feel better."

"No!" Josh screamed again. "No, stop! Don't!"

"Aye-yi-yi!" Alpha suddenly said. Josh jumped awake as Alpha shook him. "Josh? Are you alright, Josh? You were screaming," Alpha said.

"I... Yes," Josh said quickly. "It was just a bad dream."

"Was it about the explosion?"

That was the easiest answer, so Josh nodded. "Yeah. I guess I still have some PTSD." That was true. Josh often panicked when things exploded in battle. He tried not to, but sometimes it was very hard for him. He was freezing up less often, but the fear always hit regardless.

"Josh... Would you like me to get Zordon?"

"No!" Josh said too quickly. The idea of being around any adult male right now was too much for him. Alpha was a robot, so that didn't count.

"Zordon can help, Josh. He won't hurt you."

"I just... I'm okay. It's normal. I have nightmares every night." Sometimes, they really were about the explosion, but not always... He almost preferred those dreams. Horrible as they were, they were in the past. What was happening with Ian was current and until now, he'd never thought he would escape from it.

"Aye-yi-yi! No wonder you resisted sleeping... But how can I help you, Josh?"

"Just let me rest. I'll be fine." Josh wasn't sure if that was true, but he refused to tell Alpha what was really going on. No one knew about the things Ian had done to him, and he didn't intend on letting anyone find out. Ever.

THE NEXT DAY.

KENNY

His competition hadn't gone well. He'd worked his butt off, but he'd still only come in second. Silver wasn't good enough for his father or his coach. They'd been working him all day. Only his mother had been proud of him, and unfortunately, she wasn't around. Kenny was dizzy. He hadn't stopped to eat all day.

He swayed a bit as Katie came in. "Jeez, Kenny... Again?" She asked.

"Kenny needs to practice," his coach said. "Please leave."

"You've been here all day, Kenny. Come on. You've done enough."

"Katie, just go. I'm fine," Kenny insisted.

"No, you're not."

"Mind your business, Katie. Go run along like a good girl," his father said. Kenny groaned inwardly. That kind of condescending conversation wouldn't end well.

"I'm almost done," Kenny insisted.

"I'm coming back in an hour. If you're still here, I'm dragging you out by your ear," Katie said after glaring at his father.

Kenny started working even harder. He was on the bars now. He under-rotated on his dismount and fell. He cursed under his breath. "This garbage is what you call hard work?" His father demanded. "You can do better!"

"I'm sorry, Dad... I just... I need to eat. I'm starving," Kenny said. "Can I call it a night? I promise I'll work twice as hard tomorrow."

"That attitude won't get you to the Olympics," his coach said harshly. He threw his hands up in frustration. "I'm done for tonight. Do what you want." He marched off.

"Do it again," his father said.

Kenny reluctantly got back on the bars. As he was trying to get himself moving, he slipped. His body was too exhausted. He landed hard, and his father made no move to help him. Kenny finally stood on his own.

"I'm leaving, Dad," he said. He began to walk away.

"Don't you dare!" His father said. "Do it again! Do it until you get it right!"

"No. I'm endangering myself. I'm too exhausted."

His father slapped him hard across the face before Kenny could see it coming and duck. Normally when his dad was drunk, Kenny's reflexes were quicker. He touched his face before rushing out of the gym.

"Who the fuck hit you?" Katie demanded as he ran outside.

"It's nothing, Katie," he insisted.

"Don't even! His hand print is on your face!"

"Dad's just a little too drunk."

She pulled out her phone. "Dad? Can you come get Kenny? Quickly? Have Alpha teleport you." She hung up.

Moments later, Tommy appeared. "What's wrong?" He asked. Then he saw Kenny's face.

"Take him back to our place. He's not going home tonight," Katie said. Kenny didn't argue and neither did Tommy. They walked away, leaving Katie to do God only knew what.

KATIE

"You like hitting kids, Asshole?" She demanded as she walked into the gym.

"I told you to mind your business," Mark said sharply.

"You hit my friend. That is my business!" She hit him before he could see it coming. He stumbled backward and stared at her. Then, he tried to hit her. Katie laughed in his face and gave him a beating he wouldn't soon forget.

It was all fun and games until the sirens came. "She assaulted me!" Mark cried out to the police officers who filed in.

"You're under arrest," a cop informed her.

This was just her luck. Katie let them take her to the precinct, but as soon as she was alone in a cell, she teleported out. She knew the one safe place she could go, so that was where she went.

"Katie?" Jayden asked in surprise.

"Hey... Did you miss me?" She asked before kissing him. Her boyfriend was part of a different team of Power Rangers, and no one knew about him. She had worked especially hard to make sure her father didn't find out she was dating someone, especially since Jayden was a couple of years older than her.

"You know I missed you," Jayden said.

"So, I sort of got arrested for beating the hell out of my friend's dad. Can I hide here for a bit?"

Jayden laughed. "You would. Sure, Katie. You're always welcome."

"Good."

"Did you tell your parents?"

"Not exactly."

"Call them, Katie. They'll be worried sick."

She shrugged and decided he was probably right. She called her father first. "How's Kenny?" She asked.

"He's not saying much," her father replied.

"He'll be okay... But um... Dad, I'm sort of not in the country."

"What?"

"I got arrested, and I teleported out of jail."

"You did what?!"

"I beat the hell out of Mark."

Her father sighed. "He's the one who hit Kenny?" He guessed.

"Yeah."

"I wish the kid had told me that. Katie, why didn't you call me?"

"I'm calling you now."

"Next time you get arrested, call the grown-ups before you flee the country. Are you safe?"

"Very safe."

"Fine. I expect you home tomorrow."

"I'll come home once you straighten this out."

"I'm holding you to that."

"Love you, Dad."

"I love you, too, Punk."

After he hung up, Katie called her mother. "Are you serious? Katherine, come home right this instant!" Her mother shouted. Katie hated when her mom called her that. Literally no one else ever did.

"I can't," Katie argued. "But I'm safe, alright?"

"Where are you?"

"Safe. That's all I'm telling you."

"I'm the parent, Katie! Tell me where you are!"

"I'm fine, Mom."

"Katie, you don't get to just run away! You're not acting like much of a leader right now."

Katie suddenly felt herself become overwhelmed with anger. "Excuse me? You've never led a team! You're one to talk!"

"You're not mature enough to lead if you think this is okay!"

"You know what? Screw you, Mom! I've never given you a reason to doubt me! I've never screwed up, and hell, I've never been evil! That's more than you can say!"

"Katie! How dare you?!"

"How dare you insinuate I'm not a good leader? I'm the only one out of you, me, and Dad who has never been evil. Why would you treat me like you can't trust me? Why is my word not good enough for you?"

"You come home right now, Young Lady!"

"No!" Katie hung up.

"Rough conversation?" Jayden asked in concern.

"I think I'm going to stay for longer than I initially planned. I'm going to be there if my team calls, but other than that... I'm not going home until she stops being a lunatic."

"Well... I guess it's a good thing we have comfortable beds here," Jayden said with a smile. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. "Stay as long as you like."

That was entirely too tempting. She thought the change of scenery might be good, and maybe she'd figure out a way to find Billy. That mattered more than anything else.

KIMBERLY

She had fallen asleep on Jason's couch, but now she was in the guest room. She assumed he'd moved her up there and tucked her in. Jason could be incredibly sweet to her when she was having a rough time. She'd planned to go home, but she had passed out before she could. Now, she woke up to the sound of her cell phone ringing.

"Katie?" She asked as she answered it. "What's wrong?"

"Kim, Dad just called me... I need you to get between him and your husband," Katie said.

"Wait, what? What happened?"

"I sort of beat the hell out of your husband and now he's flipping out on Dad and threatening to call the cops because he 'kidnapped' Kenny."

"Back up. What do you mean you beat Mark up?"

"Kimberly... He hit Kenny."

Kimberly froze. Her heart shattered. She'd known Mark was abusive to her, but he'd always been a saint around Kenny. He never touched him in front of her.

"He hit my son?" She demanded.

"Yeah. Him and the coach were working Kenny so hard, Kenny didn't eat. When I got him to leave, Mark hit him," Katie said.

"Thank you for telling me that. I'll take care of it." Kimberly had never been so full of rage in her life. It was a foreign sensation. She said a quick goodbye to Jason before hurrying to Tommy's house.

"Kim! He kidnapped Kenny!" Mark said. "I called the police."

"You hit my son!" Kimberly cried out before throwing the hardest punch she'd ever thrown in her life. Mark stumbled backward. His hand reached up to his nose. Kimberly was pretty sure it was broken, and she was ready to do worse if he tried to touch her.

Mark stared at her. "You... You hit me?" He asked.

"Yes, Mark. It's called karma."

The police arrived and Kimberly knew she was in trouble. "That crazy bitch broke my nose!" Mark told them.

They looked from him to her. She shrugged. "He hit my son," she said again. "I was defending myself. He's abusive. He's been hitting me for years." It was hard to say, especially in front of Tommy.

"You son of a bitch!" Tommy shouted. He lunged toward Mark.

"Tommy, no!" Kat said, grabbing his arm. "He's not worth it."

"Okay, you're both under arrest," one of the cops decided. "We'll sort this out at the precinct."

"Can you guys keep Kenny tonight?" Kimberly asked.

"Of course we can," Tommy said.

"It's no problem," Kat added.

Kimberly nodded as they forced her into one cop car and put her husband in the other. It was going to be a very long night. When they arrived at the precinct, she looked at Mark. "I want a divorce," she told him firmly.

"Kim... No, baby... We can work this out," Mark said. "I'm sorry."

"Your chance to apologize went out the window the second I found out you hit Kenny. Go to hell."

"He was being defiant."

"I don't even want to hear your excuses. Nothing is going to excuse you putting your hands on him. I never want to see you again."

"You have nowhere to go!"

Kimberly tried not to panic. Her parents would never take her in. She knew that. That left Tommy and Kat or Jason and Becky. She couldn't ask Kat to allow her to stay in her house like that. It wasn't fair. She decided Jason would be her best option.

"I have more choices than you think," Kimberly said, realizing it was true. She hated herself for staying with Mark for so long. It was time to do right by her son. She was never going back to Mark, no matter what.

ONE WEEK LATER.

KATIE

She'd been enjoying her time away too much. Officially, she'd left Thorn in charge of the team, but she'd told him to call her if they needed her. He hadn't called. Katie hoped he wasn't trying to handle everything on his own.

All charges had been dropped. Katie refused to go home because of her mother, and she'd made that clear to her father. He wasn't happy about it, but seeing as how he had no idea where she was, he couldn't do much.

She'd been in touch with Josh and Kenny. Although Kenny was upset his mom now knew his father had been hitting him, he understood why she'd had to tell her and he wasn't mad at her. Josh was still in hiding. He was working on trying to track his father's safe. Trini was helping him as much as she could.

"Billy's got to be in another realm," Katie said aloud. "So how do I reach him?"

"I'm not sure," Jayden said. "But if I can help, just tell me what to do."

"I think I have to do this on my own."

"What about your team?"

"If this place is awful enough to make Aunt Casey lie to us all for three years, I'm thinking my team would be safer here."

"Katie... Please be careful."

"I will be." She kissed him. Suddenly, something came back to her. "The Turbo Falcon Zord... It can tear open wormholes. It has to be tamed, though... It only helps people it trusts."

"You're talking about taming a wild Zord?"

"Yeah. So?" She grinned. "It'll be fun." She knew taming a wild Zord would be the easy part... Getting to Billy was going to be more difficult. She had no idea what she was walking into.

BILLY

Sometimes, he had powerful dreams when he wasn't in the place that made him forget everything. It was probably all in his head, but it was hard to tell. That night, he saw someone he didn't expect.

"Billy?" She asked. "It's me, Billy. It's Katie."

He had to think hard. Who was Katie again? "I'm sorry... I have some memory issues," he said.

"I'm Tommy and Kat's daughter," she said carefully. "Do you remember me?"

"I... I'm not certain."

"It doesn't matter. I'm coming for you, Billy. I'm going to find you."

"No one can find me. I'm lost."

"Not if I can help it." She looked at him. "I'll find you, Billy. I promise. Just hang on... Hang on for Josh."

He froze. "Josh is dead."

Katie looked startled. "No, Billy. Josh is alive."

"Liar! You're trying to trick me!" He shook his head. "My son is dead. They showed me... They told me... He's... He's gone. He's dead. I killed him."

"Billy, no! Listen to me! Josh is alive. He's at the Command Center. He's safe."

"That's not possible!"

"I'll prove it to you... When I get you back. I'll take you to him."

"You can't come after me." He remembered her now, somewhat. It was starting to come back. She was Josh's friend. "I'll hurt you... All of you... I don't want to."

"You won't hurt me, Billy."

"You don't know what's in my head!"

"I know what's in your heart. You won't hurt me."

"You don't know me anymore, Katie!"

She looked nervous as he snapped at her. "I'll find you, Billy. I'm going to help you. You're going to be alright," she insisted.

"I have to go. They're coming."

"Billy, no-"

He looked up and saw Merkhet standing over him. "Soon, you can meet our Sorceress," she said. "She's not ready yet... But she needs to see you. She needs to understand..."

"Yes, Merkhet," Billy replied.

As he began remembering more, the commands hit him. He had to destroy them all... Every last one of them. It was his destiny.

Fight, a small voice in his mind urged him. Don't give in to them.

Billy was so tired of fighting... But he couldn't give up yet. He had to try to hold on. If Josh was alive... If it was somehow true... He had to get back to his son.

TANYA

She watched as her daughter trained with Jason. Maddie adored him so much. Tanya sometimes wished she hadn't kept the truth from everyone. She couldn't stop her mind from flashing back.

"Jason," she said with excitement as he walked up to her.

Jason pulled her into his arms and swung her around like he'd started doing when they were in high school. "Oh, T, it's great to see you!" He told her.

"It's good to see you, too," Tanya replied. She was smiling like she always did around Jason. He was a very close friend of hers, and over the years, they'd had an on-again-off-again relationship. Every time he came back to town, that old flame seemed to rekindle. He'd been gone for three months this time.

"You'll never guess what happened when I went to Tampa!"

"What?" His news couldn't be as great as hers, but she was willing to let him go first.

"I met this girl, and... And I think she's the one, T. I mean, for the first time in my life, I'm considering settling down."

Just like that, Tanya's smile faltered. Her heart ached. She wasn't sure what to do. She knew Jason wasn't the monogamous type. She hadn't expected him to declare himself her boyfriend or propose or anything... But now he seemed so happy. How could she destroy that?

"I'm really happy you're happy, Jason," she said honestly. She decided then and there that she was okay to do this on her own. She wouldn't destroy Jason's new relationship. She'd raise their baby alone.

"Are you okay, Mom?" Maddie asked with concern.

"Yeah, honey, I'm fine," Tanya lied. She'd waited so long... How could she tell them now? Many years and several children later, Jason and Becky were still together.

You have to tell them, she reminded herself. She'd kept this secret long enough. "Jason? Can we talk?" She asked him.

"Of course, T," Jason said.

"Maddie, go on home. I'll catch up."

"Okay, Mom," Maddie said. She seemed suspicious, but didn't say anything else. She gave both Tanya and Jason quick hugs goodbye before she left.

"What's going on, T?" Jason asked.

"I... There's... Jason, there's something I have to tell you. Something I should have told you before," Tanya said.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"It's about Maddie."

"I'm listening."

"She's... Maddie's your's, Jason. She's your daughter."

Jason blinked at her for a moment. "Huh?" He finally managed to ask.

"I found out after you left, and when you came back... Well... You had just declared your love for Becky. I couldn't mess that up for you."

"Mess it up for me? Tanya! You were carrying my kid!"

"I know... And I know I should have told you... But I was so afraid of hurting you... And then I was afraid in general... I knew the more time went by, the angrier you'd be..."

"So you waited until she was sixteen? Jesus, Tanya! She's almost a legal adult!" He shook his head. "How could you keep this from me?"

"I... I thought it was the right thing at the time."

"It wasn't! Does she know?"

"No. I wanted to tell you first."

"Holy shit... Holy shit, she's my kid... I have a daughter... Oh my God..." He shook his head again.

"She's a great kid, Jason."

"I know that! I love the girl to death... But I missed out on so much, Tanya! Because you lied to me."

"You never asked. Who else did you think I was sleeping with? I wasn't as wild as you, Jason. I didn't sleep around much. You were the only one at that point."

"Oh God... I'm a damn idiot..." He sighed. "Let me tell her. She should hear it from me."

"I'm her mother."

"And I'm apparently her father, and I'm just as shocked as she will be, so she should hear it from me. Alright?"

"Okay..." Tanya sighed. "Do you hate me?"

Jason softened. "T... I could never hate you... Especially now that I know you had my baby... An amazing little girl who's literally everything I always wanted in a daughter. I'm pissed, but I can't hate you. You did a really good job with her... I just wish I'd been there for more of it."

"I do, too. I was wrong to keep it from you, Jason. I'm sorry."

"I guess I'll have to start making up for it now." He shook his head. "I'll talk to her... And then, somehow, I'll figure out how to tell Becky. That may need to wait until she comes home. I'm not sure that's an over-the-phone kind of conversation."

Tanya was surprised when he hugged her. "Thank you for finally telling me," he said.

"You deserved to know," she replied.

"She's amazing, Tanya... And I've been incredibly proud of her anyway... But now I'm proud to be her father, too." He paused. "Now we know where she gets her Martial Arts skills from," he added with a grin.

Tanya smiled back at him. Maybe things would be okay after all.

MADDIE

She was surprised when Jason called and asked her to meet him at their favorite dinner spot. Still, she quickly left the house and headed there.

Jason stared at her for several moments before seemingly recovering from some form of shock. "Maddie, we need to have a pretty serious conversation," he said after a minute.

"Okay. What's up? Is this about my mom? She was acting really weird," Maddie said.

"Sort of... Your mother told me something I didn't know... Something you don't know, either."

"Are you going to fill me in?"

"Maddie... Have you ever wondered where you come from?"

"I come from Angel Grove," she said with a laugh.

"No, I mean... Did you ever wonder who your father was?"

"Yeah, I guess... It's never been a big deal to me. Mom's great." It was odd to be having this conversation again.

"What would you do if I told you I know who he is?"

"I'd say the apocalypse came if Mom actually told someone... But cool. Who is he? Do you know him?"

"Oh, yeah... I know him pretty well."

"Awesome. So who is it?"

"It's me, Maddie. I'm your father."

Her jaw dropped. That had been the last thing she'd expected to hear. "Wait... Seriously?" She asked. She loved Jason. He'd always been like a surrogate father to her anyway... But if this was true... It might change everything.

"Yeah. Trust me, I was just as surprised as you are."

"Jason... Or... Dad, I guess... Am I supposed to call you Dad now?"

"Well, Maddie, I guess that's up to you. Sixteen years of calling me Jason might be a hard habit to break... But if you want to call me Dad, I'd be okay with that."

"I don't know. I guess we'll just stick with Jason for now and see what happens."

"That's fair."

"Does this mean things have to get awkward between us now?"

"No. Not at all. We've always been close, Maddie. If anything, this just explains why I'm so attached to you."

"You're attached to me?"

"Very. I'm surprised you hadn't noticed."

"Mom's really got some explaining to do..."

"She does... For now, though, you have me to help you get through this, okay?"

"Okay." She looked at his face, studying it, trying to see herself in there. She'd always looked like her mom, but she'd never considered she might look like her dad, too. If there was a resemblance, she couldn't spot it, but that was probably because she was still in shock.

"Are we cool, Maddie?"

"Yeah. We're cool." She smiled. "As far as Dads go, you're one of the best ones I've ever met. Your boys love you... Holy shit, I have four brothers!" She clapped her hands over her mouth. "Sorry."

"Hey, you've cursed in front of me before. No need for it to be weird now."

"Did I ever tell you that you reproduce like a bunny?"

He laughed. She smiled, realizing she'd had her father's laugh in her life this entire time and hadn't known it. "Once or twice," he said. "I guess it's even more true now, huh? Five kids is a lot."

"But I'm you're only girl."

"That's right. And that makes you particularly special, Maddie."

"I mean, as far as we know... Unless you have an army of illegitimate kids out there," she teased him.

"Not as far as I'm aware," he said with a laugh.

"Jason... Can I hug you?"

"Always. You never had to ask before. Why should you ask now?"

"Because now I'm your daughter... And this is the first time I'm hugging you since we both found out... And that makes it special, I guess." She hugged him. It didn't feel any different than usual. Jason's arms were safe and comforting, but now she knew he was her father. It didn't have to change anything. "I'm glad it's you," she whispered.

"Me, too, Kiddo," he replied. He hugged her tighter and Maddie knew they'd be alright.

THE NEXT DAY.

ZEKE

Everything had gone insane. Zeke was mildly annoyed that Katie had decided to name Thorn as the temporary leader of the team. He was the Red Ranger. Shouldn't that be his job if Katie and Sage were both unable to be there? Still, he saw how much Thorn was struggling with his new role.

"Dude... Call Katie," Zeke said.

"No... No, she's busy," Thorn insisted.

"Don't be a dumbass. She said to call if we needed backup. That monster just grew to, like, six times its original size. It's time to call her."

Thorn hesitated. Kenny took a hit to the chest and stumbled backward. Josh grabbed him and steadied him just before he got knocked off of a cliff. "Dude! It's time!" Zeke said again.

Thorn nodded. He opened up his communicator. "Katie, we need you!" He said.

Within seconds, Katie appeared in full morph. "Finally!" She said. "I was starting to think you guys didn't need me anymore."

"Yay! Katie's back!" Maddie said.

"For now," Katie clarified.

"Girl, we need to talk! You have no idea what I just found out."

"Cool. We'll do that after we kick this monster's ass."

"Sounds good."

They called the Zords. Even without Sage, they could form the Megazord because the Dragonzord wasn't part of it. Katie manned the White Tigerzord. Together, they attacked the monster. It vanished quickly, but was immediately replaced by something worse.

"Holy shit... What is that?" Zeke asked.

"I am Killer Bee!" The monster declared. It looked like a giant bee and Zeke wasn't happy about it. He was deathly allergic to stings from regular bees... What would happen if a giant monster stung him?

The bee attacked hard and Zeke tried not to have a complete and total meltdown. Maybe Katie's instincts had been right. If bee monsters reduced him to a pathetic wimp, why should he be trusted to lead? He frowned, hating how inadequate he suddenly felt.

"White Tigerzord, coming in with the swatter!" Katie declared. She literally had a giant fly swatter in her Zord's hands.

"Seriously?" Zeke asked aloud.

"Squish goes the monster!" Katie said as she swung the fly swatter and the bee slammed into a wall. It let out a final pathetic buzz before dying. "Boo-yah! That's how it's done!"

"God, I missed you," Kenny said. As they left their Zords, everyone rushed to Katie.

"When are you coming home?" Josh asked.

"When my mom gets her head out of her ass... So possibly never," Katie said. "But I have your backs, guys. Always."

"We know," Zeke said. "Where are you hiding out, anyway?"

"With my boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" Zeke and Maddie asked in unison.

"Yep. I have one of those. Surprise."

"Okay, now we really need to talk!" Maddie said. "I'm buying you coffee before you leave so we can chat." She led her away.

"Girls..." Zeke mumbled. "Come on, guys. Let's get some food. My treat."

"You had me at your treat," Thorn said.

"He had me at food," Kenny said. "I'm starving."

"I can't," Josh said. "I should head back to the Command Center... I can't risk being seen."

"Then we'll bring you dinner," Zeke insisted. He felt bad for Josh. His situation sucked, and the fact that they now knew his dad was somewhere beyond their reach didn't help.

"I'm okay-"

"You need to eat. I've got you." Zeke might not be the team leader, but he was determined to make sure everyone was taking care of themselves. Right now, Josh needed extra help in that department, and he was happy to provide it. As much as he liked to pretend to be a jerk, Zeke was actually a very nice guy.

Thirty minutes later, armed with entirely too much food, a computer that played movies, and a library of digital movies, Zeke walked into the Command Center with Kenny and Thorn. Josh looked surprised he'd actually shown up. Zeke put on a movie as they ate, and for the first time in what was probably way too long, Josh smiled and seemed to relax. If Zeke had accomplished that much, he knew he could truly handle anything the world threw his way. Maybe he was ready to be a leader after all. He smiled at the thought before giving his full attention to the movie on his computer.


	5. Chapter Five

THORN

It was hard to focus sometimes. Thorn was grateful for the one thing he had that was truly his. "What's got you so down?" Caleb asked with concern.

"I miss Sage," Thorn replied quickly. That was the easiest response. He hadn't told Caleb everything, of course, but he had explained his sister was on a vision quest and might not be back for a long time.

"She'll be okay, Thorn," Caleb said. He pulled him closer and held him. Thorn lost himself in his boyfriend's embrace for a few blessed moments.

"I love you," Thorn whispered.

"I love you, too," Caleb replied.

Thorn wished he could stay there forever. Caleb made him happy, and right now, the only time Thorn could relax was when they were together. They'd been together for almost a year. At first, Thorn had been too afraid to tell anyone except for Sage, but he'd quickly realized his parents were fine with it. They just wanted him to be happy. Other than them, Thorn had only told Katie and Kenny. He was nervous that anyone else would judge him. Besides, it was nice having something that was just his. No one else needed to know unless he and Caleb wanted to tell them.

He kissed Caleb before letting out a sigh. "I have to get home. I'm supposed to make dinner tonight," he said. He paused before adding, "Do you want to come over?"

"I'd love to," Caleb said. "And I'll help you cook."

"You really are perfect," Thorn said with a laugh.

They headed toward his house together and Thorn was relieved they didn't have to split up yet. With all of the stress he was under, he needed this time with Caleb to keep him sane.

RITA

She was sick of watching everything from the sidelines. "How sweet," she said bitterly. In all honesty, she was jealous of the pure love she'd just caught a glimpse of. She would never have that. It served her right for falling for a monster.

"Zeddy... Were we ever that sickeningly cute?" She asked.

"I certainly hope not," Zedd replied.

She watched as the Black Ranger subtly brushed his hand against the other boy's. The boy smiled in response. "I'll see them destroyed," Rita vowed. Why should they get to be so happy when she was so miserable?

"Our daughter could do it."

"No... This job is for someone special... Angeline has bigger things to worry about. "

"Who are you thinking of?"

"My secret weapon, Zeddy. She'll be mine again soon."

"Unlikely. She's one of them."

"You don't see what I see... Things are falling apart for her. She'll come to us soon, Zeddy. I know it!"

"I hope you're right. We could certainly use the help."

She touched her mirror. "Show me Angeline!" She commanded.

Her daughter appeared. She sat in her secret room practicing magic. Rita beamed with pride. Angeline might be the one truly wonderful thing that had come out of her marriage. Sure, they had other children, but none made her proud like their gifted daughter. She was their last hope. Everything was riding on her ability to save them from this hellish existence.

KATIE

Finding the Turbo Falconzord had been easy. Taming it was more difficult. The Zord was incredibly quick and did not want to be bothered.

"Look, Falcon, we're going to be buds whether you want to be or not," Katie said. "I have a Power Ranger who needs rescuing. I need your help. "

The Zord hesitated. Katie thought she might be making progress. When she got close, however, it sped away.

"Enough games," Katie said. She called forth the White Tigerzord and chased the Falconzord. After several minutes, the Falconzord stopped. She approached it on foot. "Easy, Buddy, " she said gently. She touched it. The Zord opened up to allow her inside. She'd done it!

Katie sent the White Tigerzord home. She took Saba into the Falconzord with her. "Okay... Let's go rescue Billy."

She didn't know exactly where Billy was, but her new friend seemed to. A wormhole tore open and Katie gasped as they flew through it. She had to admit, this was a fun ride. The fun ended, however, when they arrived at their destination.

"You must not allow him to go free," the evil Merkhet shouted. Katie had encountered her before. She'd barely escaped with her life, but that didn't concern her. She was much better trained now.

One of Merkhet's pet monsters attacked Billy, shoving a sword through his side. Billy cried out in pain. "No!" Katie shouted. She rushed to his side. Katie excelled in hand-to-hand combat, and she used it now. The minions were easy to take down. It was Merkhet she was worried about.

"Turbo Falconzord! Protect Billy!" She shouted. It understood and rushed to her, allowing her to put Billy inside.

"Kill the girl!" Merkhet commanded. "Bring the princess!"

Suddenly, the Sorceress walked in. Great, Katie thought. Someone else who wants to destroy me.

"End her!" Merkhet commanded.

"Firearm!" The Sorceress called.

"Yes, Sorceress?" The monster Katie recognized asked.

"Destroy her!"

"With great pleasure."

"Yeah. Good luck with that," Katie said. She easily dodged his attack.

"By the Powers of Darkness, Make my monster grow!" The Sorceress screamed. And just like that, it did.

"Crap! Time to go!" Katie said. She whistled and the Turbo Falconzord came to her. She jumped inside and they jumped into a wormhole.

Billy was bleeding out. Katie applied pressure to his wound as they headed to the only place she thought might be safe. Her aunt had met a lot of unusual people over the years. Katie remembered that one of them ran a sanctuary and always had healers there. She figured that was as good a place as any to get Billy help.

ANGELINE

She had never met Josh's father, but as the White Ranger escaped, she recognized the man in her Zord. He's alive, she realized. This entire time, they've had him right here, and Josh has been mourning him.

She wasn't sure what to do. Frustrated, she used her scrying mirror. "Show me Josh," she said.

"If I can just track this last thing... I know I'll find the safe. I'll find Dad's will, and then I won't have to hide here anymore," Josh said.

"You'll get it, Josh," someone Angie didn't recognize said.

"Thanks for your help, Trini," Josh said.

Angie stared. "Trini?" She asked aloud. "The original Yellow Ranger? What's she doing back in town?" Anger and suspicion automatically began to fill her mind.

Suddenly, Josh cried out, "I've got it! The tracking device is active!"

Angie heard a beeping sound. She looked behind her and saw a safe. "Oh no," she whispered. If Josh came after it, he'd be walking into his death. They'd never let him leave. Josh needed this safe. He was obviously terrified, and if they caught him and brought him back to that home, Angie was positive he wouldn't survive the punishment.

"Damnit..." She mumbled. She had to help him... This one last time, she had to do something she knew her family would kill her for. She tried to lift the safe, but it was too heavy, so she used magic to levitate it instead. She moved it into the portal and sent it straight to Earth.

"It's not far from here!" Josh said.

"Let's go," Trini said.

Angie watched as they followed the signal to the safe. When Josh saw it, his eyes lit up, and she knew she'd done the right thing.

"Trini, this is it!" He said. He punched in a code and the safe popped open easily. Josh pulled out several documents. His hands were shaking as he examined one. "It's here... Right here, in black and white... Tommy and Kat are my legal guardians."

Trini beamed at him. "It's the real document," she said. "That's my signature right there."

Josh looked like he might cry. Angie released the image from her scrying mirror so there would be no evidence of what she'd done. She couldn't keep doing things like this, but her people had kept Josh's father from him. She owed him this much.

KAT

She was in the middle of another huge fight with Tommy when the house phone rang. "Leave it," Kat said.

"It could be important," Tommy argued.

"This conversation is important."

"Why? We're not getting anywhere, Kat! You and I have been going in circles since she left."

"I was trying to be a parent, Tommy. Someone has to be firm around here."

"What are you implying?"

"Katie needs parents, not friends. You seem to forget that there's a difference."

"I just understand her. I get why she left, and I get why she did it the way that she did. I'm proud of her for defending her friend."

"You're proud of her for getting arrested?"

"Of course not! But I am proud of her for standing up for her beliefs."

"Not everything should be solved with violence."

"He deserved it, Kat!"

"Why? Because he dared to hit Kimberly?"

"He hit his son. He worked him to the point of exhaustion. He starved him. Kim didn't even factor into that. But yes, he also deserved to get his ass kicked because he hit Kimberly."

Kat suspected it was more about Kimberly than Kenny. It wasn't that she didn't feel sorry for Kimberly. No one should ever live in fear of their spouse... But she'd stayed with him. She'd chosen that life. Kat found herself wondering if Kimberly had stayed with an abusive husband in the hopes that Tommy would swoop in and rescue her.

You're being ridiculous, Kat scolded herself. And cruel. Kimberly didn't deserve that, and she isn't trying to steal your husband. Stop being so paranoid.

"Katie needs to come home," Kat said firmly. "You need to go find her and drag her back here."

"Katie's mature enough to take care of herself, and the reason she's not coming home is because you really upset her," Tommy said. "You need to fix this, Kat. I want our daughter back."

"What am I supposed to do? Give in to her every whim? She's a child, Tommy. She needs discipline."

"She's a teenager, Kat. A very smart one. Treating her like a child is wrong."

They continued arguing back and forth until someone knocked on their door. Trini stood on the other side with Josh. "Josh? Trini? What are you doing here?" Tommy asked.

"We found the will," Trini said excitedly.

Kat put everything else aside. "That's great! Now we can claim legal custody of Josh," she said.

"Alright. I'll get things rolling with that," Tommy said. "Trini, stay for dinner. It's been a long time."

"I'd like that," Trini said with a smile.

"Come on, Josh. I'll take you up to one of our guest rooms and get you settled in," Kat said. She was in full-on maternal mode now. Josh needed someone to look out for him. She needed to put everything else on hold until she took care of him.

"Thanks," Josh said awkwardly.

"You're home, Josh," Tommy said. "You're safe here."

Josh nodded as Kat led him upstairs. When they reached the bedroom, she opened the door and let him walk inside. "I hope you'll be comfortable in here. Do you have your laptop? There's a desk you can set it up on."

"Thank you, Kat. It's great," he said. He looked terribly lost.

"You'll be alright, Josh," Kat promised him. "You're welcome in our home and always will be. If you need anything else, let me know."

She left him alone so he could have a chance to process everything without having her hovering. When she got downstairs, Tommy and Trini were laughing about something. Kat felt a pang in her heart. She hadn't heard Tommy laugh since Katie had left. She desperately wanted things to go back to normal, but it felt like they just kept falling apart.

BILLY

He was fully healed when Katie transported him to Angel Grove. "I'm bringing you somewhere safe," Katie promised him.

"Where?" Billy asked.

"To my Dad."

"No... Not Tommy. I'll hurt him."

"Billy-"

"Kimberly," Billy said firmly. "I need Kimberly. I don't have any urge to hurt her. I think she's safe."

Katie hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Okay. Kim's staying with Jason. We can go there"

"Jason..."

"He's your friend, Billy."

"I know. I remember... For now." He was terrified of being around anyone, but he had a feeling if he was near Kimberly, he'd be able to resist most of the commands.

They arrived at the house and Katie hurried to the door. "Jason? I have Billy," he heard her say.

"Billy?" Jason asked. "My God... Is it really you?"

Billy nodded. "I believe so," he said cautiously.

Jason ran toward him, but when he tried to hug him, Billy felt a switch flip in his head. Suddenly, all he could think about was killing Jason.

"Billy, stop!" Katie screamed as he attacked Jason.

"Fight back!" Billy shouted. "Fight back, Coward! I know you want to!"

"I won't fight you, Billy," Jason said firmly. The shock in his voice was clear.

"Fight back!"

"Billy?" A voice called from the doorway. "Billy, stop!"

Billy looked up and saw Kimberly. The terror in her eyes was enough to make him take a step away from Jason. "Kimberly..." He whispered.

Kimberly came toward him. When she went to hug him, he didn't stop her. Instead, he pulled her into his arms. He felt her tears landing on his shirt. His own tears began to fall.

"Kim... Oh God, Kim..." He whispered.

"It's okay," she told him. "You're home, Billy. You're home and you're safe and we missed you so much... We love you, Billy. I love you."

"I love you, too," he said. His mind was slightly clearer with Kimberly around. He looked at Jason. "Jason... Jason, I'm so sorry..."

"It's okay," Jason said, recovering from his shock.

"No... It's not. I didn't mean to attack you. I can't help it. There's so much going on in my head... I can't make it stop. I have orders... Orders to hurt you all."

"Then we'll just have to cancel those orders," Jason said firmly. "It's okay, Billy, You're home now. That's what matters."

"I need to get the Turbo Falconzord back," Katie said. "Take care of him, okay?"

"Always," Kimberly promised.

"We've got him," Jason added.

Katie left. Billy was nervous. He'd had pretty good control around Katie. The act of her saving his life had broken the command to cause her harm. Unfortunately, he still felt like he could go after everyone else at any moment.

Kenny ducked his head out of the house. "Billy!" He cried out in surprise. He ran toward them.

"Kenny..." Billy said. He hesitated. The urge to hurt Kenny was very weak. The command was still being shoved through his mind hard, but looking into the same eyes that had stared at Billy in wonder when he was just a baby, Billy couldn't bring himself to do it. Kenny was safe. Billy closed his eyes and forced himself to hug the boy. He was struggling, but he wanted to comfort him. He could tell Kenny had missed him.

"Josh is going to be so relieved..." Kenny said.

"I could call him," Kimberly said.

"No... No, I can't see him yet," Billy said quickly.

"Billy-" Jason said.

"No! It's not safe. Not yet. Please... I just... I need time."

The others exchanged glances. "Okay," Kimberly said. "Come on inside, Billy. I'll help you get settled in, and you can get some rest. We'll work on what to do about Josh in the morning."

Billy nodded. "Thank you," he said. He followed her inside. When they were alone, Billy realized he was trembling.

"Are you cold?" Kimberly asked. She immediately wrapped him in a thick blanket.

"Kimberly..." He whispered. He shook his head. He couldn't tell her. He couldn't express everything that had happened in the last three years. He barely remembered half of it. He'd done horrible things... He'd been too weak to fight their commands sometimes.

"What is it, Billy?" She asked.

"Nothing."

She looked at him sympathetically. "I know you must have been through a lot, Billy... Just know that I'm here for you, okay? I'm not going anywhere. When you're ready to talk, I'll listen."

"You should get home."

"I am home."

"What?"

"I left Mark. Kenny and I are staying with Jason until I can get on my feet."

"You... You left him?" Billy suddenly remembered the bruises he'd seen on her, and the number of times he'd stitched her up and taken care of her when things had gotten out of control. "I'm so proud of you, Kimberly."

"That means a lot to me." She squeezed his hand. "The point is, you're stuck with me for a while, Billy."

"I don't mind. You're safe... I know I won't hurt you. I could never hurt you."

"I know. I trust you."

He was glad one of them trusted him. Billy curled up on his new bed, suddenly exhausted. Kimberly crawled into the bed and made herself his teddy bear, something she'd started doing after he lost his wife. It seemed to comfort them both. He breathed in the scent of her shampoo and forgot about everything else for just a moment.

ZEDD

He was furious. "They failed us!" He cried out. "The Blue Ranger was our best chance of finding freedom! We needed him for leverage."

"We'll find someone else, my Lord," Angeline said. On his order, she never called him Dad. Occasionally, she addressed him as Father, but usually, he was Lord Zedd or "my Lord." He preferred it that way.

"Yes... Yes, you will, Child," he said. He looked to his obnoxious wife. "Who will replace him here?" He asked.

"It must be someone they won't notice is missing," Rita replied. "Someone we can take without causing a stir at first." She paused thoughtfully. "Ah-ha! I've got it!"

"Who is it?" Zedd asked.

"Angeline, send your monsters to the coordinates I just gave you on your mirror."

"Yes, Mother," Angeline replied.

"Watch and learn, Zeddy," Rita said. "This is going to be unforgettable!"

AISHA

She was working with one of her favorite lions when suddenly, a monster appeared. Aisha let out a cry of surprise before getting into a fight stance. Decades before, she'd switched destinies with Tanya, relinquishing her role as the Yellow Ranger so she could save people in a different way. She'd managed to remember everything from both timelines, but she hadn't had to fight a monster since.

As it attacked, Aisha defended herself. She got a few good hits in. "Just like riding a bike," she declared.

Three more monsters showed up. "What the heck is going on?" She demanded.

"Come with us, Yellow One," the first monster said.

"I'd rather not," Aisha replied. That was when one of the other monsters hit her from behind.

"Rita will be so pleased!" She heard the monster say before everything went black.

THE NEXT DAY.

JOSH

He couldn't believe it when Kenny called and told him to come by Jason's house because his father was back, but he still ran all the way there. When he stepped into the house, he saw what he'd been so certain he'd never see again... His father sat on the couch.

He was paler than usual. He had a few visible scars he hadn't had before. His eyes looked lost... But it was his father. He was alive.

"Dad..." Josh said softly. His voice cracked with emotion.

"Josh..." His father stared at him for a minute before standing up and opening his arms. Josh ran to him, suddenly a little boy again. "You're alive..." His father whispered. "You're here. You're alive. You're not dead."

"You're not either," Josh said as he hugged him.

"They told me... They told me you were dead."

"I'm okay, Dad. I promise." Josh looked into his father's eyes.

His father nodded slowly. "I missed you so much..." He whispered. "I thought I lost you."

"I thought I lost you, too," Josh replied. "But we're both here."

"Yes. We are."

It was impossible, but it was true. His father was here. They were together again.

"How have you been doing?" His father asked awkwardly.

"I'm okay," Josh said too quickly. He almost blurted out the truth. He wanted to tell him what he'd been through, but he couldn't. He knew it would destroy him, and he was afraid of it changing the way his father looked at him. He could never tell him the truth.

His father seemed to sense how troubled he was. "Josh... I know it's been a while, but if you need to talk, you can talk to me."

"I know, Dad." Josh hugged him again. "We have a lot of catching up to do."

He felt tears in his eyes as he sat beside his father. This small moment was more than he'd ever thought he'd have. He was beyond words.

"I love you, Dad," Josh said through the tears.

"I love you, too," his father replied. It seemed to surprise him that he was saying the words. Josh wondered what had happened to his father in the last three years. He was afraid of the answer, but he desperately wanted to know anyway. Whatever it was, it was clear that just like Josh was a different person now, so was his father.

TOMMY

He had spent the last several hours in a conference room with several lawyers as well as representatives from Social Services. Kat was with him, along with Trini.

"The minor boy belongs in our care until this is sorted out," one of the people from Josh's group home said.

"The will says he belongs with us," Tommy said firmly. "We have the witness here to confirm it."

The judge nodded thoughtfully. "Are you able to provide Joshua with a stable and safe environment?" He asked.

"Absolutely," Tommy said. "Josh is already like family to us. We'll do anything in our power to keep him safe. He's comfortable with us."

"Josh belongs with people who care about him, not strangers," Kat added.

"I'm inclined to agree that it is in the best interest of the boy to respect his father's wishes. He's spent enough time being bounced around in the system. There is absolutely no reason why Doctor and Mrs. Oliver should not be allowed to take him in," the judge said.

Tommy was relieved. He'd been worried this wouldn't go well. The last time they'd faced a judge to fight for Josh, they'd been told they were unfit for the job.

"But, Your Honor-" the one called Ian objected.

"My decision is final. It is always in the best interest of a child to see that they are in a home. The Olivers have proven they have an adequate home. They're already raising a child who seems very well-adjusted from her school records. She's active in the community and by all accounts, she's a very happy young lady. I believe that the Olivers are more than capable of providing Joshua with an environment he can thrive in," the judge insisted.

"Thank you, Your Honor," Tommy said, shaking his hand.

"It is my pleasure, Doctor Oliver. You're an outstanding member of the Angel Grove community. Joshua will be lucky to have you and your wife for support."

As they left, Tommy smiled. "Thanks, Trini," he said.

"Of course," Trini said. "I'm just glad it went well."

"Do you want to come by tonight?"

"I can't. I promised Jason I'd spend some time at his place."

"Okay. I'll see you soon, then." Tommy hugged her. Trini hugged Kat as well before going to her rental car and driving away.

"We did it," he said to Kat after a moment.

"We did," she agreed.

"Look... I know things are bad between us, Kat, but we'll get through them. The important thing right now is to focus on being here for Josh. He's been through a lot."

"Don't worry. Josh is my priority as well. And at least he's in this country..."

"Kat-"

"Forget it. Let's just get home so we can tell him the good news."

"He's at Jason's. Billy agreed to see him."

Kat softened. "Do you think Billy will let us see him soon?"

"I don't know. Jason said he's in rough shape. Apparently, he attacked him... But he'll come around, Kat. Billy's strong. I know he'll come back from this."

She nodded. "Let's go. I'm going to make something for dinner so Josh can eat when he gets home."

They reached their car. Tommy opened the door for her out of habit before walking around to his side of the car and getting in. They drove in an awkward silence. Tommy tried not to dwell on that. They'd won. After three long years, they were finally going to be able to help Josh. That was the only thing that currently mattered.

When Kat got out of the car, Tommy pulled out the communicator he used to call the team. He dialed Katie. "Hey, Dad. What's up?" She answered.

"We did it, Katie," he said. "We got custody of Josh officially. He never has to go back to that place."

"Awesome!" Katie replied. "I'm so glad to hear that."

"So when will you be coming home?"

"Is she still there?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then not yet. I'm not coming back until she's gone, Dad."

He sighed. "How can you two work things out if you won't talk to her?"

"She should have thought of that before she started acting like an asshole."

He couldn't argue with her. Kat was acting like an asshole lately. "I miss you, Punk."

"I miss you, too, Dad."

When they disconnected, Tommy closed his eyes and tried to think. He missed Katie more than anything, but he knew how stubborn she was. She really wouldn't come home if she didn't want to. For the first time, Tommy considered that he might really have to choose between his wife and his daughter. He knew what his choice would be, but that didn't make it any easier to accept.

He cleared the thought from his mind as Kat called out to the car. "Can you pick up butter? We don't have enough," she said.

"Sure," he replied. He welcomed the excuse to drive away for a little bit. He hoped that when he returned home, Kat would magically start acting like the woman he'd fallen in love with so many years before and that she'd find a way to fix this mess. He desperately wished it would be that easy, but he knew better. This was starting to feel like the end of the line for them.


	6. Chapter Six

SAGE

She had woken up confused and lost. Wherever she was, it wasn't Angel Grove. She wasn't sure how long she'd been unconscious. She still had everything on her that she'd had when she got blown up, so she called the Dragonzord out of the sea and hid inside of it until her head had cleared a bit.

When she finally emerged, she discovered she'd gone back in time about eighteen years. She was lost in time and space and she had no idea how to get back home. Most alarmingly, she couldn't feel Thorn. If she could have, she knew she'd have been able to find her way home.

Time passed quickly for her. She had a sense it was moving differently for her than for everyone back home. After a few months, a horrifying truth had been revealed... Sage was pregnant, and she had no memory of anything that could have led to that. Apparently while she'd been unconscious and helpless, someone had taken advantage of her. She couldn't focus on that. She needed to find her way home.

One year later, Sage was still stuck there. Social services had taken her son from her because she was a teenager with no ID and no home. They wanted to put her into the system, but she couldn't let that happen, so she hid in the Dragonzord and desperately tried to find a way to get back home.

After meditating for a very long time, Sage finally found a way through to the present. Her father stared at her. He was asleep and it was easier to reach him that way.

"Daddy..." Sage cried as the weight of all she'd been through hit her.

"Sage! Baby, where are you?" Her father asked.

The story spilled out of her. In tears, she told her father about her son. "Sage... How is that possible? It's only been a couple of weeks," he said.

She stared at him. "It's been a year..." She mumbled. How could it have only been a couple of weeks?

"It doesn't matter... Where are you? "

She told him. "Dad... I think there are Rangers here, but not in this time. Maybe they can help me."

"I'll talk to Tommy. He knows a lot of the other teams."

"My son... What if he's a Power Ranger?" She paused. "If he grew up in the past, he's older than me now."

"Wait... The Mega Force Rangers!"

"What?"

"They're in that town... Tommy helped them earlier this year. They just defeated their big bad. And Tommy was really amused because one of them had a Dragonzord. The red one, I think. He also has visions, which isn't normal for Power Rangers... Even your mom was really drawn to the kid..."

"You think he's my son?"

"I think it's possible. If he is, he might be able to help you get back home."

As horrible as waking up pregnant had been, Sage had not wanted to give up her son. He was part of her, and she loved him the moment she saw him. She'd very briefly looked into his eyes and that had been enough to connect them. All she wanted was the chance to see him again. If her dad was right, she might actually be reunited with him.

"I love you, baby. We'll bring you back," he said firmly.

She felt the connection slipping and her father faded away. Sage prayed that that conversation had been enough.

ADAM

He knew he had to act. "Casey... I saw Sage," he said.

"She connected to you?" Casey asked in surprise.

"She's stuck in the past, and she needs help."

"We can't interfere, Adam."

"Screw that! I'm sorry, but our daughter just went through hell and she needs us. I'm getting her back."

"Adam, you don't understand."

"You know what? You're right. I don't." He shook his head. "I'm getting her back, Casey. With or without your permission." He walked away, too angry to stay. He kept walking until he reached Tommy's.

"What's up?" Tommy asked, seeing the look on Adam's face.

"Can you put me in touch with the Megaforce Rangers? Specifically the red one?" Adam asked.

"Troy? Sure, but why?"

"It's for Sage."

"Is she back?" Tommy asked hopefully.

"No... She needs help and I think Troy is her best shot."

"Okay. I have his contact info inside. Come on in."

Adam followed Tommy inside. He hesitated when he saw that a table had been tossed across the room and there were papers scattered all over the floor. "Tommy... Is everything okay?" He asked.

"What? Oh... Yeah... I, um... I knocked that over when the doorbell rang."

"Tommy... Not to be rude, but that excuse is as bad as one of Kimberly's when she and Mark had a fight. What happened?"

"Kat and I got into an argument. She snapped when I accused her of being irrational and threw the table... Not at me or anything. She was just frustrated. She looked horrified after she did it and she walked out... I'm not sure where she went, but we need to help Sage right now. Kat can calm down and come home when she's ready."

"I'm sorry, Tommy. I didn't realize things were getting so bad between the two of you."

"It's fine. We're fine."

Adam was positive that was not true, but there wasn't time to argue. Tommy dialed Troy's number.

"Troy? It's Tommy... Yeah, I'm good. How have you been?" Tommy paused. "That's good... Listen, I need a favor. My niece is missing and her father thinks you can help. Her dad is Adam, the second Black Ranger on my original team. I'm going to put him on now." Tommy handed him the phone.

"Um... Hi, Troy," Adam said awkwardly. "Look, I know this is an odd request... But my daughter is stuck in the past in your town. She's our new generation's Green Ranger. Her name is Sage. She really needs help, and-"

"I'm in," Troy said quickly.

"You are?"

"Yeah... To be honest.. And this will probably sound strange... I've had dreams about this. Sometimes, I have visions. I've seen a girl called Sage for years. It got a lot more intense in the last few weeks."

"Probably around the time she vanished. Visions aren't strange to me. I married a Shaman."

"I feel like I'm meant to help her."

"I think you can reach out to her. Do you meditate?"

"Sometimes."

"Try to reach her. I'll give you my contact info and whatever you guys need, I'll make it happen."

"Okay," Troy agreed. "I'll be in touch."

Adam clung to the hope that his daughter might be coming home soon.

KAT

She was completely miserable. Kat found herself wandering toward the woods. She began walking, unsure of what had drawn her there. When she reached the darkest part of the woods, she stopped and gasped as a semi-transparent form appeared.

"Hi, Kitty Cat! Long time no see!" Rita Repulsa said cheerfully.

Kat's eyes went wide and she leaned against a tree for support. "Impossible!" Kat declared aloud. "This isn't happening."

"Oh, I assure you it is, Katherine. Come on, is this how you greet your Empress?"

"You're not my Empress. I don't belong to you."

"Perhaps... But I'll let you in on a secret, Katherine. My powers aren't what they used to be. I couldn't have connected to you if you didn't secretly want me to."

"That's absurd! I want nothing to do with you."

"Oh really? Then why do you keep moving closer to me?"

"What? No I don't."

"Look at where you're standing, Kitty Cat."

Kat realized the tree she'd leaned against at the sight of Rita was now several feet behind her. "You've tricked me. That's all this is," Kat said.

"Silly Kitty. I don't have that kind of power right now. Projecting to you is taking a lot out of me. Besides, I'm not here to put a spell on you. I'm here to remind you how it feels not to feel... To only feel pure, unadulterated hatred for those who have dared to wrong you."

"The only one who ever wronged me was you, Rita."

"Don't be silly, Kitty. What about Kimberly? She broke your precious Tommy so thoroughly before you ever dated him that he could never fully love you. She made sure no one else could ever have him."

"Tommy loves me."

"Does he? Is that why you can't stop fighting?"

"That's none of your business!"

"Poor Kitty Cat... You can't even see it, can you? It's her he loves. You were just her replacement... On the team, in the school, in Tommy's bed... But you know, deep inside, it was Kimberly he was picturing."

"Shut up! Just shut the hell up!" Kat screamed.

"He'll never get over her. She's just better than you at, well, everything."

"She is not! That little slut has nothing on me!"

"Finally, the claws come out! I knew you were still in there, Kitty Cat."

Kat gasped. "I didn't mean that."

"Yes you did, and that's okay. You deserve better, my little kitty. And I can give it to you. I can give you your revenge."

Kat felt the temptation. She nearly gave in to it. Then she shook her head. "No... No, I won't hurt them. You can't make me."

"I don't have to, my dear. Very soon, you're going to be begging to come back to me. It must be your choice, Katherine. This time, you're going to choose to be evil... And I promise you'll be rewarded. "

"Never!"

"We'll see." With a cackle, Rita vanished.

Kat was suddenly trembling. She looked toward the sky and wished she had some guidance. It had been too long since she'd had someone to show her the path to the light. She struggled to be good enough for Tommy. He had fought his way back from evil, too, but it was different for him. He fought every battle he could, almost as if he was constantly trying to prove that his brief time as a bad guy wasn't part of who he really was. Kat, on the other hand, had those dark thoughts on her own sometimes. She was jealous and insecure, and although Tommy was extremely good to her, she knew she'd never hold a candle to Miss Perfect. Kimberly was pure of heart. Kat tried, but she still had so much darkness in her... And deep down, she knew that she wasn't good enough for the one man whose heart was pure enough to transform him from the tainted Green Ranger into the White Ranger without the power boost so much as tempting him to turn evil again. If Kat had been given that kind of power again, she wasn't sure she wouldn't have let it corrupt her.

She sighed and forced herself to leave the woods. She cautiously walked toward her home. She couldn't stop thinking about Kimberly. The bitch played the damsel in distress so well. Jason and Tommy were both bending over backward for her. Even Billy, who was having psychotic breaks routinely, wouldn't harm her. He'd attacked almost anyone else who got near him, but not Perfect Kimberly. Kat made it halfway home before her insides began churning. She ran to some bushes and began to vomit, filled with a hatred so strong it had literally made her sick.

You're letting the evil in, she scolded herself. She could feel herself turning darker by the second. She continued to get sick for a moment before she pulled herself together. She had to go back home. She had to stop doing this. She needed to talk to Tommy. Hell, maybe she needed to talk to Zordon. He'd believed in her when she was still evil. He might be able to help her now.

MERKHET

She laughed as her potion was completed. "Say this spell," she told Angeline.

"What will it do?" Angeline asked suspiciously.

"What we need it to... Take down our enemies."

"In what way?"

"Enough questions! I am your mentor. Do as I say. It's for your parents, my dear. If we knock the team unconscious, we can pick them off one by one."

"Unconscious... Fine."

"Would it matter if it killed them straight out?"

"No. Of course not."

"Good. They're the enemy, Child. Remember that."

"I know." Angeline began reciting the spell.

The girl is becoming a problem, Merkhet thought. Angeline was asking too many questions. She no longer blindly accepted what she was told and Merkhet worried she might be losing her control over the child. She needed to remind her what was at stake.

She walked away and began to work a spell of her own. She'd make it happen before sending her potion to Earth to take the children down. Then Angeline would remember which side she was on.

LEXA

Her mind had never been so fuzzy before. Even the accident hadn't left her this confused. It was almost like something was pushing her forward. She walked out of the group home unnoticed. No one paid much attention to her. She was just that weird mute girl who only made noise when screaming at night.

She clung to her teddy bear as she walked. She was scared, but she couldn't stop. She finally stopped walking when she hit the park. The monster appeared seconds later. Lexa's eyes went wide, but she made no sound. She only screamed when she was asleep.

The monster grabbed her and pulled her into the air. She could see kids nearby. They didn't seem to care what was happening to her. Lexa wondered if they could see her. She tried to remember how to scream, but she couldn't. The kids looked right through her and the monster.

As the monster brought her down toward the ground, Lexa felt her skull hit the ground. Her vision blurred and became tinged with red. He lifted her up and did it again. He did it a final time before everything went black.

ANGELINE

She finished casting the spell and Merkhet returned. "My dear... You must see the truth," Merkhet said. She grabbed her scrying mirror. "Show me the girl!"

Angeline looked on in horror as she saw a monster attacking a child she recognized. "Lexa!" She cried out. "Why did you send him after her?"

"To show you why we must stop the Power Rangers. They won't help her. They watch and they just laugh!"

Sure enough, Zeke, Maddie, and Kenny sat looking unconcerned as Lexa was brutally murdered.

"Stop him!" Angeline begged.

"It's too late."

"But she's innocent!"

"My dear girl... This is what happens to the innocent when the Power Rangers deem them unimportant."

As they continued to laugh, Angeline forced herself not to cry. It was too late for Lexa, but she'd be avenged. Angeline would see those bastards destroyed.

BULK

He was walking through the park when he saw something odd. Of course, that was normal in Angel Grove, but the bloody pink sneaker was still alarming. He moved closer and realized it was attached to a little girl.

"Kid... Hey, Kid, are you alright?" Bulk asked. He already knew the answer on some level, but he told himself he was wrong. He saw her face. She couldn't have been much older than his youngest daughter judging from the size of her, but her face and skull had been bashed in beyond recognition. He still checked for a pulse, just in case.

"Help!" He shouted. "Call 911!"

Three kids he recognized as Young Tanya, Little Rocky, and Boy Kimberly rushed over to him. "What's wrong?" Little Rocky asked.

Young Tanya let out a startled cry as she saw the body of the little girl. Boy Kimberly was already dialing 911.

Suddenly, all three of them collapsed. Bulk figured it was from shock, although it seemed odd all three should go down at the same time. He checked the three of them and found steady pulses. When Bulk turned back around to face the little girl, the three of them somehow vanished. Bulk noticed a minute later and decided not to over-think it. This wasn't the strangest thing to happen in Angel Grove, and he had to focus on that poor little girl. Whoever had done this needed to pay. He'd see justice done.

CASEY

She looked at the children in horror. "Alpha, we have to wake them up," she said. "This is a powerful sleeping spell. Eventually, their bodies will shut down." She brushed Thorn's hair out of his eyes gently. He'd collapsed on his boyfriend. Poor Caleb had frantically called Adam for help, completely terrified with no idea what had happened. Alpha had teleported Kenny, Maddie, and Zeke to the Command Center after they'd collapsed. Josh had been working on an experiment in his room when he collapsed. The sound of shattering glass beakers had alerted Tommy that something was wrong and he'd rushed him to the Command Center.

"Help!" Someone called from outside of the Command Center.

"Who is that?" Alpha asked. He pulled up a view of the visitor.

"That would appear to be one of our Zords," Zordon said. "Specifically Katie's..."

Tommy looked up from the kids. "What's her Zord doing here?" He asked. Casey knew he'd been hoping the spell had not hit her.

A boy emerged with Katie in his arms. "She's been knocked out, too," Casey realized.

"Alpha, teleport them inside," Zordon said. Alpha did.

"Zordon... It's an honor," the boy said with a cordial bow. His eyes went wide when he saw Tommy, and Casey knew who he was before he said it. "Tommy... Hi. I'm not sure if you remember me... We met briefly when we helped the Super Megaforce team. I'm Jayden, Red Samurai Ranger and leader of my team."

"And Katie's boyfriend," Casey said knowingly. "Bring her to me."

Jayden brought her over. "She just collapsed on me... She was complaining she felt off, like something was wrong with her team, and then she went down... I asked Saba to call the White Tigerzord so I could bring her home to get help." He looked nervous.

"You did well, Jayden," Casey reassured him. "She will be safe here."

Tommy looked heartbroken as he looked at his daughter. "Thank you, Jayden," he said. "For bringing her home. We can discuss this boyfriend thing later, when she wakes up." He looked at Katie sadly, stroking her hair. "Come on, Punk... Wake up."

After a little while, Casey knew she needed backup. "Stay with the children," she told Tommy. "I'm going to get help." She drove to Jason's house.

Billy kept his distance once Kimberly let her in. Unlike the last time she'd seen her, Kimberly didn't slap her or demand to know how she could have left them all believing Billy was dead. She had apologized after, horrified by her own actions, but Casey understood. "Billy... We have to talk," Casey said.

"I'm sorry," Billy said automatically. "I didn't mean to attack you. I saw you and suddenly had it in my head that you intentionally left me to rot... That... That you..." His rage was clearly building back up.

"Billy... Breathe," Kimberly said gently. Her hand on his arm seemed to ground him.

"The children are under a spell. It's chemically induced through a potion of some sort... I need your help, Billy," Casey said urgently. She wasn't sure why she'd made the choice she had. Billy was her friend. He'd saved her life once. She hadn't wanted to give up on him, but she'd known they couldn't save him. She'd been convinced it was kinder to allow everyone to grieve than to hold on to a false hope... Yet somehow, her niece had rescued him. Now Casey doubted her choice. She understood why Billy had attacked her the first time he saw her. She'd have done the same thing in his shoes.

"The children..." Billy repeated.

"They need you, Billy. No one else can figure this out," Casey said. Not only was that true, but Casey suspected trusting him with such an important job might help him start feeling more like himself. She'd screwed up with Billy. She needed to make it up to him somehow.

SAGE

She could feel something drawing her home. She reached toward what she was certain was her only hope. It literally took everything she had to reach out. A hand grabbed her and pulled her through until she knew she was back in the present. The owner of the hand steadied her.

"Hi," he said awkwardly. "I'm Troy."

"Sage," she replied. "Thank you for coming after me."

"No problem." He looked into her eyes. Sage realized how much they mirrored her own. "Let's get you back home."

She should have been afraid to get in a car with a stranger, but she trusted him immediately. Troy wasn't out to hurt her. He seemed as nervous as she felt.

Dad's right, she thought. This is my son... The baby they ripped away from me. She needed proof, but in her heart, she already knew. She'd know those eyes anywhere. He might be all grown up, but he was her son. She tried not to cry as she realized her baby boy was older than she was. I'll make it up to you, she vowed. Somehow, she'd show him that she hadn't willingly abandoned him. First, however, they needed to get back to Angel Grove so they could confirm it was true.

BILLY

He hadn't expected the answer to come to him so easily. The thing was, he'd been a genius in all of Earth's scientific mysteries, and now thanks to getting abducted by monsters, he understood complex science from a number of other realms as well.

Seeing the children so defenseless had overridden any command to harm them. He worked feverishly, asking Casey to assist him where she could. Trini was also at his side, a welcome comfort. Trini had been assisting him with scientific things since they were fourteen. She understood him without needing things broken down. They may not have worked together in years, but it was like riding a bike. The addition of Casey, who was equally intelligent, simply helped move things along quicker.

"Billy, you did it!" Trini exclaimed as the children began to stir. He felt something inside of him heal, just slightly, as he watched them slowly sit up.

"Excellent work, Billy!" Zordon said.

Billy wasn't used to seeing Zordon in a normal body. He also hadn't seen him in a couple of decades. He couldn't identify how it made him feel, but he didn't have time to worry about it. "Dad?" Josh called.

"I'm here, Josh," Billy said quickly. "I'm right here. You guys will be okay now."

"I knew you could do it," Casey said gently before giving Billy his space. Billy took Josh's hand and focused on him. He felt more like himself than he had in years.

"Zordon... May I stay here for a little bit?" Billy asked.

"Of course, Billy. Everyone else should return to their parents," Zordon advised.

"No thanks," Katie said, clinging to the boy Billy didn't know.

"Come on, Katie... Don't leave yet," Tommy said.

"I'm not going back to the house if that bitch is there," Katie insisted.

"Dinner. On me. With your... boyfriend."

"Should I be scared?" the boy asked nervously.

"Very," Katie said. "Okay, Dad. Dinner."

Tommy looked relieved. "I can drive some of you home," Trini said. Slowly, everyone left until it was just Billy, Alpha, and Zordon.

"I'll give you some time," Zordon said.

Billy hesitated for a moment before hugging him. Zordon seemed surprised, but he hugged him back. "Welcome home, Billy," he said gently. Billy nodded before losing himself in looking over the Command Center.

"This tech could use an upgrade," Billy said thoughtfully.

"You're more than welcome to work on it. I trust you completely."

"You shouldn't. I'm programmed to be a traitor. I attacked Tommy and Jason and almost everyone else I've seen."

"You are fighting, Billy. I know what's in your heart. You will do the right thing."

Billy wanted to believe he could find himself again. He almost felt normal tonight... But he knew anything could set him off all over again. He felt like a lunatic. He turned his attention fully to the machines around him. Technology made sense. Its behavior was predictable. It could be fixed by following the logical steps. Suddenly, Billy envied the machines.

BULK

He couldn't believe this was happening. Sure, he'd found that poor little girl. Yes, he had her blood on him. Yes, his fingerprints were all over her... He'd been checking to see if the kid could be saved. That didn't mean he'd killed her, but no one seemed to want to listen to that.

"I get a phone call," he reminded an officer.

The cop scowled at him before pointing to the antiquated pay phone in the massive cell he shared with six other guys. Bulk sighed and debated who'd accept the charges if he called them collect. He couldn't call his wife or mom. Both would scream at him about getting arrested and be unhelpful.

"Damnit," he mumbled. "I'm screwed." He dialed the only person he knew he could count on.

Thankfully, the charges were accepted. "What's going on, Bulky?" His long-time best friend/ brother/pain in the ass sidekick, Skull asked cheerfully.

"Skull, listen, I'm in trouble," Bulk said. "I'm back in Angel Grove and I got arrested."

"What did you do?"

"Nothing, asshole, but thanks for having faith in me."

"Sorry."

"They booked me for murder, Skull... I found a little girl and tried to save her, but I was too late."

"Murder? No way. You'd never hurt a kid."

"I told you I didn't do it. I need help, Skull. They're ready to throw the book at me!"

"Never fear, Bulky! I'm on the way!" He laughed his nervous hyena-like laugh.

They hung up and Bulk realized his freedom now depended on Skull. "I'm doomed," he said with a sigh.

BILLY

He was still working on the machines as someone arrived. "Sage?" He asked. "You're back."

Sage paled. "Billy?" She asked before hugging him. He tensed for a moment, but he hugged her back.

He noticed the boy behind her. "Who's this?" He asked.

"This is Troy. He is possibly my son..." She sighed. "Billy, can you run a DNA test?"

"That would be simple." He didn't question how this teenager might be Sage's son. He'd seen too many strange things in the time he'd been gone. Nothing surprised him anymore.

He ran the test and the results came back quickly. Billy looked at Sage and Troy. "You are related," he said gently.

Troy looked at Sage. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Don't be," she said. "You saved me. And at least we found each other."

"Are you okay, Sage?" Billy asked.

"I don't know. Are you?"

He offered up a sad smile. "I also do not know."

"Please don't tell anyone, Billy. I'm not ready to explain it."

"I don't talk to many people these days. Your secret is safe with me."

Sage nodded. She and Troy left, and Billy again lost himself to the familiar machines. This new project nearly made him forget Merkhet and the others. He held onto the science tightly, hoping to finally find himself again.


	7. Chapter Seven

SKULL

He was enjoying being back in Angel Grove. He'd even brought his son Spike, who was eager to see all the places Skull had hung out growing up. He left Spike at the Youth Center whenever he went to visit Bulk. Prison was one thing Skull decided Spike didn't need to experience.

It had been a couple of days now, but Skull was still no closer to getting Bulk out. "I need the best lawyer in town," he realized aloud. Bulk hadn't done it, but the evidence didn't look good. Maybe he could call on other resources in the meantime...

The man sitting inside the Youth Center looked up with a smile on his face when Skull entered, but that smile quickly vanished when he saw him. "Oh no..." The man mumbled.

"Lieutenant Stone!" Skull cried out cheerfully. Lt. Jerome Stone hadn't changed much since he'd last seen him.

"Skullovitch..." He mumbled.

"It's good to see you, Lieutenant Stone! I need your help."

Lt. Stone sighed. "It's good to see you, too, Skullovitch. What's this about?"

"Well, see, Bulky's been arrested..."

"Yes, I heard. They say Bulkmeier murdered a little girl in the park. I can't help him, Skullovitch. He's going away for a very long time."

"Lieutenant, he's innocent! We can't let him rot for a crime he didn't commit!"

Lt. Stone paused. "Look, I know you two were close... Hell, I love the guy, too... But the evidence is overwhelming."

"You know him, Lieutenant Stone. Do you really believe Bulk could have done this?"

Lt. Stone sighed. "I admit, I was shocked to hear it."

"Then help me clear his name!"

"I'm not in law enforcement anymore, Skullovitch. What do you want me to do?"

"Help me find the truth. We were private investigators together. We can solve this case."

"I spent a few years running this juice bar, and now I'm retired... I just help out here sometimes when they need it. As far as law enforcement, I'm out of practice."

"Solving crimes is in your blood. Please, Lieutenant. You're the only person I trust with this."

Lt. Stone took a deep breath. "I'm on it," he said. For the first time, Skull believed Bulk had a chance.

Skull called toward Spike, who sat in a booth laughing at something on his phone. "Come on, Spikey! Time to go!"

Lt. Stone looked at Spike and said, "He's your son? That explains so much!"

"Yep, my pride and joy." Skull beamed at Spike before leading him away.

TOMMY

He'd had it. "Katherine, either fix things with Katie, or leave," he said. He hated saying the words, but he couldn't keep doing this. Katie was his daughter. She had to come first.

"You're giving me an ultimatum because she's being a spoiled brat?" Kat demanded.

"Katie is our daughter! You have had a lot of time to fix this, but you've refused to budge! I want her home, Kat... And that means you have to get out."

"You're choosing her over me? This is just a ploy! You just want me gone!"

"I don't even know who you are anymore, Kat!" He flung his hands up in frustration.

"Is this about Kimberly? I bet you've been screwing her this whole time! Is that why you're so concerned about Kenny? He's really yours, isn't he?"

Tommy stared at her in disbelief. "I've never cheated on you, Katherine. And no, Kenny is certainly not my son, but he's a good kid who needed help, so yes, I care about him."

"Liar!" She slapped him hard across his face.

Tommy touched his cheek in shock. He shook his head. "Pack your stuff. Get out. And stay away from Katie."

He locked himself in the study until he knew she was gone. He called Katie. "I kicked her out," he said. "Come home, Punk."

Katie gasped. "You kicked her out?" She repeated.

"Yes. Can I expect you soon?"

"Yeah... Yeah, okay. Give me a day or so."

"Okay. I love you." He hung up. Only then did he allow himself to cry.

KAT

She was furious, homeless, and desperate. Kat didn't know what to do. She wandered aimlessly because she had nowhere to go. She nearly went back to the woods. She hated to admit it, but she needed Rita. Rita would fix this for her... But someone startled her and she didn't make it that far.

"Kat? Are you okay?" Rocky asked. He stared at the two suitcases she dragged with her.

"Rocky..." She said with surprise.

"What's with the bags?"

"Tommy kicked me out!" She blurted out.

Rocky's jaw dropped. "Over Katie?"

"Yes."

"Where are you going?"

"I don't know... A hotel... A ditch... It could go either way..."

"Come with me."

"What?"

"I'm not taking sides, but I'm also not leaving a friend homeless when I have a perfectly good guest room."

His kindness touched something in her. "Thank you," she whispered. She flung her arms around him.

Rocky held her for a moment. "You guys will get through this. You get through everything." Kat didn't trust that that would be the case, but at least she had somewhere to go now.

THORN

Seeing his sister had restored Thorn's ability to breathe. He didn't want to let her go, but she clearly needed time. In tears, she'd told him the truth about Troy... His nephew. It was strange, and he was furious for what his sister had gone through, but he held on to the fact that she was home now.

"Thorn? Are you okay?" Caleb asked.

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine," Thorn replied automatically.

"You're a million miles away. What's wrong?"

"Nothing... I'm just... Tired." Thorn hated lying to Caleb, but what else could he do? He couldn't reveal he was a Power Ranger. He couldn't tell him Sage had been sent back in time by some monster and that she'd gone through hell and had a kid now. He couldn't tell him anything even remotely close to the truth, and it hurt so much sometimes, keeping all of these secrets. He did it anyway, because he knew he had to. It wasn't about him. It was about the greater good, and protecting the secret of the Power Rangers.

"Poor baby," Caleb said. He kissed him. "You're not feeling sick again, are you?"

"I'm not going to collapse on you," Thorn promised. "It was just a bad case of the flu." That was the biggest lie he'd had to tell so far.

Caleb ran his hand through Thorn's hair. Thorn loved it when he did that. He couldn't believe how much he loved this boy sometimes. That only made it harder to hide such a huge part of himself from him.

You hide your true identity from your boyfriend, you hide the fact that you're gay from everyone... Seriously, what isn't fake about you? Thorn wondered in disgust. He sighed.

"Can I help?" Caleb asked.

"Just stay with me," Thorn said. "Even when I don't deserve you. Please."

"You deserve me, Thorn. I love you. I'm not going anywhere." Caleb kissed him again and Thorn tried to stop thinking so much.

RITA

"Ugh!" Rita cried out. "Disgusting! Something needs to be done about the love birds. Why should they get to be so happy when I'm so miserable?"

"I thought you said your cat would be coming back to us," Zedd said.

"She will, Zeddy. Give her time. She's almost there."

"We've waited long enough!"

"I can't force this, Zedd! It's got to be her choice. I feel the evil in her heart. She's ready. She just needs to give in to it."

"What if she doesn't?"

"She will. She always does in the end."

"And you will test her loyalties?"

"Of course I will! I'm not an idiot!" Rita smiled as a wicked idea came to her. "And I know just how to do it, too!" She laughed as the image of the Black Ranger and his boyfriend faded away. She was going to kill two birds with one kitty.

KATIE

She arrived home the day after her father called. He opened up his arms and hugged her, and Katie had to admit, it felt nice to be home. She was used to being away from Jayden most of the time, but she had gotten too comfortable with him and his team of Samurai Rangers. It was time for her to focus on her own team and go back to seeing Jayden in her free time.

Josh smiled at her shyly. "Welcome home," he said.

"Dad... If the bitch is gone, why don't you bring Billy here for Josh?" Katie asked.

"I... Could you do that?" Josh asked. "Is he ready?"

"As long as Kimberly's with him, he's pretty much himself," Her father said. "So I'll just have to bring Kim and Kenny here, too."

Katie definitely didn't mind the idea of having Kenny around. Of everyone on the team that she wasn't related to, she was closest to Kenny. "We have enough guest rooms," she pointed out.

"Okay. I'll call Kim and see if she's up for it." Her dad walked away to do that.

"Do you think this will be okay?" Josh asked.

"Sure," Katie said. "You, your dad, Kim, and Kenny are family. It'll be awesome."

"I admit it would be wonderful to live with my father again. Being away from him is... Difficult."

"I'm sure it is."

"Katie... Do you think you'll ever work things out with your mother?"

"I don't know... Probably not. She's turned into a lunatic, Josh. She's totally irrational, and she has no respect for me whatsoever. I can't deal with her anymore."

"She's your mom, though... If I had the opportunity to see my mother again..."

"That's different," Katie said gently. "Your mom was a great person, and you loved her... And you lost her when you were really young. Of course you'd want to see her again. Besides, my mom's not dead... She's just a bitch."

"She was kind to me..."

Katie softened. Josh hadn't had a mother in a long time. Hell, he hadn't even had a father in the last three years. Of course the slightest bit of kindness from her mother had affected him. "She knew I'd kick her ass if she didn't take care of you," Katie said. "Are you mad I basically forced my dad to kick her out?"

"No. I understand why you felt you couldn't stay here with her... I just wish you didn't have to deal with that."

"Yeah. I wish that, too." She shrugged. "It's okay, though. Dad kicked her out. At least I know he loves me."

A little while later, Kimberly, Kenny, and Billy arrived. Billy looked nervous, but he stayed focused and didn't try to attack her father or anyone else as Josh led him to the room Katie and her father had set up for him. It was right next-door to Josh's room. Katie hoped that, now that they were under the same roof again, they could both begin to heal and rebuild their relationship. Kimberly stayed in the guestroom on the other side of Billy's room. Kenny took the last room, which was across from Katie's bedroom.

The house felt significantly less empty, and her father didn't look as upset anymore. Katie knew she'd done the right thing pushing him to bring the others over. They all needed it.

THREE DAYS LATER.

SAGE

She was talking to Jason. He'd always been a great listener, and right now, Sage was too troubled to talk to her family. She felt like her mother was disappointed in her for needing help. In fact, her mom had gone on some sort of retreat to "get her thoughts straight" right after Sage had returned. Sage wasn't sure if that was what she was doing, or if her mother had just genuinely needed to get away from her.

"I think Mom hates me," she blurted out.

"No way, Sage," Jason said. "Your mother adores you."

"Then why did she run?"

"Your mom realized when everyone was unconscious that she was having thoughts that didn't seem to be her own. She needed help to clear those thoughts away... The same thoughts that made her convince all of us Billy was dead so we'd let go. Now that he's back, she realized something wasn't right about that, so she decided to get some help. That's all it is, honey."

"She was mad at me. I could tell."

"That could have been her messed-up thoughts acting up."

"I can't tell anymore... I just... I feel like I messed up."

"Sage... Everyone needs help sometimes. It's okay, and it's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Mom took her Shaman journey when she was seven."

"You're not Casey, Sage... You're Sage, and you're awesome, but you have to do things in your own time. Stop comparing yourself to your mom."

She couldn't help it. She'd been just like her mother since birth, and Thorn was their father's little clone. That was the way it had always been. She simply didn't know any other way.

Suddenly, Sage felt a sharp pain in her side. "Jason... Something's wrong..." She whispered.

Jason reacted quickly as Sage collapsed in agony. He picked her up and carried her to the nearest emergency room while she struggled not to black out from pain.

Sometime after they arrived, her father took Jason's place at her side. "It'll be okay, Sagey," he promised.

"What's wrong with me?" Sage asked.

"It's your appendix, honey. They need to remove it... But it's a very simple surgery. You're going to be fine."

"Daddy... I'm scared," Sage admitted.

"You'll be okay... I'm here, and Thorn's in the waiting room with Jason... So is Troy."

Sage took a deep breath, which hurt. She had to survive this. If nothing else, she needed to stay strong for her son. Appendicitis was bad, but it didn't have to be fatal or even have any lasting effects. She could do this.

"Be brave, Sage... I love you," her father said.

Sage struggled to remember how to be brave. She'd always been brave. Her entire life had been about having a strong mind and soul. Unfortunately, her time in the past had left her doubting herself and feeling unsafe. She hated that this was her new reality. She promised herself she'd fight to find her strength again, but for now, she just needed to survive the night.

ADAM

He was struggling to remain calm, but it was nearly impossible. He had hesitated before calling Casey, but he knew she needed to know what was happening. She'd offered to come home, but he knew she needed more time to get her thoughts back on track. He promised her he'd take care of Sage and had insisted Casey stay where she was until she was herself again.

Waiting was literally hell. He paced the waiting room, praying for good news. Thorn and Troy sat together in an awkward silence. Jason walked over to Adam.

"Hey..." He said. "How are you holding up?"

"Badly," Adam admitted. "Sage has never been sick like this, Jason. The worst thing she's ever faced until now was the flu... And I'm just..."

"Scared?"

"Terrified."

"It's normal to be terrified, Adam. She's your daughter. But she'll be alright. Sage is strong. She's going to be fine."

Adam nodded. "Thanks, Jason."

Suddenly, Adam saw the last thing he expected. "Tommy?" He asked. Tommy held Katie in his arms.

"She needs help!" Tommy said frantically.

Jason and Adam hurried to him. Thorn was right behind them. "What happened?" Adam asked.

"She cut her leg on something... There's a lot of blood. I think she hit an artery," Tommy said.

Doctors hurried to them with a stretcher. "She's losing blood fast," one said. "We need to get her into surgery. Sir, can you tell us what happened?"

"I don't know... She called me and said she was hurt... She didn't tell me what happened, but by the time I got to her, she'd passed out."

They took Tommy away, presumably to get Katie's medical information. When he returned, he looked pale. "What did the doctors say?" Adam asked.

"She lost a lot of blood... But they think she'll be alright. They're going to stitch up the wound, but they have to give her internal stitches, so she needs surgery... They're giving her blood..." Tommy paused, seemingly finally realizing something was off. "What are you doing here, guys?"

"Sage is having emergency surgery, too. It's her appendix," Adam explained.

"Oh God... Is she alright?"

"We're still waiting for news..."

As if on cue, a nurse appeared. "Mr. Park?" She asked.

"Yes," Adam replied. "Is she alright?"

"Your daughter's doing very well. The surgery went perfectly. She'll need a few days to recover, but she's going to be just fine."

Adam sighed with relief. He looked at Tommy and saw how terrified he still looked. "Don't worry, Tommy," he said gently. "Katie will be fine, too."

"I know... Can we see Sage?" Tommy asked.

"Soon. She's still not awake, but once the anesthesia wears off, she'll be able to have visitors," the nurse promised.

Adam nodded. Thorn still hadn't said anything. As the nurse walked away, Adam said, "Your sister's okay, Thorn."

"I felt it," Thorn said softly. "When the pain hit her, and she collapsed... I felt it happen."

"I know. You're twins. But she's okay now, Thorn. She's going to be fine." Thorn nodded. He looked exhausted. "Why don't you get some rest?" Adam asked.

"I'm okay," Thorn said.

Adam saw Caleb come into the waiting room before Thorn did. "Hey... I thought you could use some company," Caleb said shyly. "How's Sage?"

"She's okay," Thorn replied. Adam saw something in his eyes as he looked at his boyfriend. He watched his son lean on the boy he loved and knew their connection was as strong as his was to Casey. Still, Thorn refused to hug him or do anything overly obvious that would reveal they were a couple. He was still too afraid to out himself, and with Tommy and Jason there, he wouldn't risk it.

"Come on," Caleb said. "You look like you need to eat. My treat." He led him away and Adam knew Thorn was in good hands.

Adam looked at his other family in the room. Jason was trying to keep Tommy distracted. Troy sat by himself looking lost. Adam walked over to him and sat down.

"How are you holding up?" Adam asked.

"I'm okay," Troy replied.

"It's okay to be freaked out. She's your mother." It was hard for Adam to say that, but he had to accept the truth. Troy was a great kid, and he had obviously already gotten attached to Sage. Someone should be there for him, and right now, that was Adam's job. He needed to take care of Troy, and Sage, and Thorn, and even Tommy. Without Casey around, Adam had to hold the family together.

TOMMY

He struggled with making the decision he needed to make before he finally stepped outside and made a phone call. "Hello?" Kat answered.

"Kat... Something happened," Tommy said.

"Obviously, if you're calling me... Tommy, can we talk?"

"Not right now, Kat."

"Please just-"

"It's Katie."

"Yes, yes, it's all about Katie. I know."

"No, Kat. Listen to me. Katie's hurt. She lost a lot of blood."

"What?" Kat hesitated. "What happened, Tommy? Is she alright?"

"She's in surgery. I just... I thought I should tell you."

"Well, what hospital? I'm coming-"

"She doesn't want to see you, Kat."

"Our daughter just almost died, Tommy! Tell me where she is."

"She's safe, and she's going to be alright. That's all you're allowed to know right now. Katie doesn't need any more stress."

"I can't believe you let this happen!"

"I wasn't with her."

"You should have been! Wasn't that the whole point of kicking me out? Didn't you do it so you could see her? Or was that a lie?"

"Kat... I called as a courtesy. I'm not up to fighting."

"Well that's too bad, because-"

Tommy hung up the phone. Then he turned it off. He pulled out Katie's phone, which he had while she was in surgery. He dialed another number. "Hey, Beautiful," Jayden answered.

"You're pretty handsome yourself, Kid," Tommy said dryly.

"Tommy... Um... I'm sorry," Jayden mumbled. "Is everything okay? Why do you have Katie's phone?"

"She's hurt, Jayden... She lost a lot of blood, but they think she'll be okay. She's in surgery."

Jayden took a deep breath. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yeah... Come back to Angel Grove."

"I'm sorry?"

"Katie needs you. And as much as I'm a little uncomfortable with the idea of my kid dating an older guy... Or any guy for that matter... You take very good care of her. I know you love her. So you should be here."

"Yeah. Of course. I'll be there. Thank you for calling me, Tommy."

"No problem." He hung up and headed back inside. Adam, Thorn, and Troy were with Sage, who'd finally woken up, but Jason was still waiting for him.

Jason looked at him. "Bad conversation with Kat?" He guessed.

"Very," Tommy confirmed. He didn't have a chance to say anything else as a doctor came into the room.

"Doctor Oliver, your daughter's doing very well," he said. "Her vitals are strong, and she's already starting to wake up. She's going to be fine. She's a very lucky girl."

Tommy released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Thank you," he said. He had to resist the urge to hug the doctor. He'd been beyond worried about Katie. "Can I see her?"

"Absolutely. Come with me."

Tommy eagerly followed the doctor to his daughter's room. Katie looked up at him with sleepy eyes. "Hey, Punk," Tommy said gently. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I sliced open my femoral artery," Katie said with a weak smile. "Thanks for rescuing me."

"Always, Punk. But don't scare me like that again, okay?"

"Okay. Next time, I'll slice open my jugular instead."

"Not funny, Katie!"

She laughed. "Yes it is." She squeezed his hand. "I'm okay, Dad."

"Jayden's on his way."

"What?"

"I called him. He's coming."

"Really? You called him?"

"I did. I thought you might like to see him."

She hugged him carefully. "Thanks," she said.

"I, um... I called your mom, too."

"Yuck."

"She wanted to come. I told her no."

"Good. I don't want to see her."

"I know." He paused. "I'm glad you're okay, Punk. I love you."

"I love you, too, Dad." She yawned.

"Okay. You need to keep resting. I'll be here when you wake up."

She didn't argue, a true sign of how tired she must be. Tommy stayed until she fell asleep a short time later, then walked back to the waiting room. He wouldn't be leaving any time soon.


	8. Chapter Eight

ROCKY

Since they had another mouth to feed now, Rocky decided he needed to do some proper grocery shopping. Him and Zeke could survive on pizza and other take-out, but Kat probably needed something a bit healthier.

When he'd taken Kat to the supermarket, he hadn't expected to run into Kimberly. Before he could even greet her, Kat lashed out. "Oh, hello, Kimberly," she practically spat at her. "Are you enjoying playing house with my husband?"

"Katherine, there's nothing going on between me and Tommy," Kimberly said.

"You're a liar just like he is! I don't believe you! You've been waiting for the chance to steal my husband, you little slut!"

Kimberly stared at her in shock. "Kat! Walk away," Rocky said firmly.

"She's got you all fooled! She's a whore!" Kat raised her arm to hit Kimberly.

Rocky grabbed her arm gently and stopped her. "Katherine! Enough. You're out of line. Just go out to the car, alright? I'll be there in a minute." He handed her his car keys and the groceries they'd just purchased.

Kat took a deep breath before walking away. Rocky looked at Kimberly. "Are you okay, Kim?" He asked.

"Yeah," Kimberly said. He didn't believe her. "I never realized she hated me so much."

"She's just overly emotional because Tommy kicked her out. She'll get over it."

"I hope so... There's nothing going on with me and Tommy, Rocky. We're staying with him so Billy can be with Josh. Billy needs me, or I wouldn't be there."

"You don't have to convince me, Kim. I know you're not that person." He hugged her. "I should go."

Kimberly nodded. Rocky walked outside. Kat sat in the car waiting for him. She looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Rocky," she said. "That was positively horrible of me."

"You're upset. I get it," Rocky said. "But Kim didn't deserve that. Your issue is with Tommy."

"Of course... I'm sorry you had to see that." They drove to his house and put the groceries away. Everything was normal until she suddenly got very close to him.

"You know, Rocky... I'd love to repay you for your kindness," Kat said.

"No need," Rocky said, backing away slightly.

"Come on, Rocky... We both need to relax." She moved closer and pressed her body against his.

Rocky moved away again. "Kat... You're married. To my friend."

"You're taking such good care of me... I just want to return the favor."

"Kat, this isn't you... It's your pain talking."

"Don't you want me? Am I not pretty enough?"

"'It's not that... You're gorgeous... But that isn't why I brought you here."

"It could be a nice bonus for you." She kissed him.

Rocky couldn't deny that the kiss was really good... But she was his friend's wife and his son's friend's mother, and he wouldn't cross that line. He broke the kiss quickly.

"Kat... I can't do this. Zeke will be home any minute." That was a handy excuse, and one that wouldn't hurt her feelings.

Kat backed up. "Okay," she said. "You're right. I'm sorry." She sighed. "I think I need to go for a walk to clear my head."

"That's a good idea. Are you okay?"

"Of course I am." She smiled at him sweetly before walking away.

Rocky shook his head. What the hell was going on with Kat? She was behaving like a nutcase. He hoped she wasn't losing it.

KAT

She arrived at the woods and didn't hesitate. "Rita!" She called. "Rita, I need to speak with you!"

A moment later, Rita's image appeared before her. "Hello, Kitty Cat!" She said cheerfully.

"I'll do it," Kat said. "I'll serve you... Empress."

Rita smiled. "I knew you'd come back! That stunt you pulled with Rocky was wonderful... If you'd kept at it a bit longer, I'm sure he would have given in. If you're interested, I know an excellent potion to make him fall in love with you... Trust me, it works wonders!" She laughed as she added, "Just ask Zedd! Or you could always use it on Tommy. Trust me, he'd forget all about perfect little Kimmy."

Kat smiled. "My empress, I only desire to serve you."

"That's my evil little kitty! Just one other thing..." She paused. "I must test your loyalty."

"Of course, Empress. What would you like for me to do?"

"Kill a boy for me. If you do, I'll know you are loyal."

"What boy?"

"This one." Rita conjured up an image of a boy. He was a teenager, probably about Katie's age. He was handsome and clearly an innocent.

"I will do anything you wish, Empress. But why this boy?"

"His existence irks me. I want it to end."

"Of course, Empress... How do you want me to do it?"

"Unknown to the boy, he is severely allergic to the bite of an insect not found here in Angel Grove. You will need to inject him with its venom."

"How will I find it?"

"Give me a day. I have a loyal counselor who can acquire anything. Her name is Merkhet, and she will get you what you need. But first... You'll need the special gifts only I can give you... Step through the portal, Kitty."

A portal opened. Kat obediently stepped through and realized she was standing before a mirror. She could clearly see Rita and Zedd. "My Lord," Kat said with a bow.

"Yes, yes, welcome... Will you do it?" Zedd asked.

"I will."

"Good. There is no reversing it this time, Katherine. Step into the circle."

Kat did. Suddenly, fire surrounded her. Kat gasped, but it felt good. In fact, she hadn't felt this good in ages. She laughed and began dancing in the flames. She was free. She was finally who she had always been meant to be.

MADDIE

She was standing on the edge of a cliff with Zeke. "Are you ready?" Maddie asked.

"To jump off a cliff without a parachute? Sure," Zeke said.

She grinned. She took his hand and together, they jumped. They landed in the water below still holding hands and swam to the surface together.

"Whoo! What a rush!" Zeke declared. He finally let go of her hand.

"Cliff diving is awesome," Maddie agreed.

Zeke was looking at her in a way that seemed different than the way he usually did. She kind of liked it. Maybe he's into you, she thought. No way... Zeke's totally got me in the friend zone... Because we're just friends... I'm way over-thinking this.

"Maddie? Earth to Maddie..." Zeke called.

"Huh?" Maddie asked ever-so-eloquently.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She smiled at him. "Just distracted by all this beauty."

Zeke was still looking at her intensely as he said, "Yeah... Me, too."

Maddie squeaked internally. What did that mean? Did Zeke like her? Did she want him to? Sure, he could be a pain in her butt, but he was fun to hang out with, and he was funny, and she had to admit that he was pretty hot.

Stop it, Maddie! She scolded herself. You guys have a great thing going here. Don't screw it up by falling for him! Suddenly, Maddie desperately wished the team had more girls. She needed to talk to someone, but she was not going to drop this on either girl in the hospital. Her drama was so not important enough right now. She'd have talked to her mother, but she'd gone out of town for a couple of days. Maddie knew she had exactly one other option. Kimberly loves giving boy advice, she thought. She made a mental note to track her down later.

She focused on swimming and diving off the cliff for the rest of her time with Zeke. Girl talk could wait until later. For now, she wanted to have fun.

TANYA

She couldn't shake the feeling that something awful had happened. Tanya had asked Alpha to teleport her to the small village she'd been raised in citing a Ranger emergency. She saw a little girl she recognized sitting beside a lion cub.

"Imani?" She asked.

The girl looked up at her curiously. "Yes... Do I know you?" She asked.

"I'm a friend of your mother's. You look just like her."

"Mama? Do you know where she is? Tia! Tia, this woman knows Mama!"

The teenager who came over looked even more like Aisha than the little girl. "Tia... Hi. I'm-"

"Tanya. Mama showed me pictures of you," Tia said. "Do you know where she is?"

"No... She hasn't answered any of my calls." Aisha lived in a more urban city now and had a phone, but she returned to the village frequently.

"She disappeared. When more than two days had passed, I brought us here, thinking she may have come back... She didn't, but with her missing, our family insisted we stay." Tanya knew Aisha's husband had died eight years ago, right before she learned she was pregnant with Imani. The girls were alone. Thank goodness Tia was seventeen and knew how to get help.

"How long has your mom been missing?" Tanya asked in horror.

"A couple of weeks."

Tanya understood her bad feeling now. Aisha would never leave her children willingly. Something horrible must have happened to her. "We'll find her," Tanya promised the girls. She forced herself to remain outwardly calm, but panic was starting to hit. Aisha was like a sister to her. She was terrified Aisha was hurt or worse. One way or another, she was going to find her.

JAYDEN

He hated seeing Katie hurt, but he was glad to be able to be with her. "I love you," Jayden told her.

"I know. I love you, too," Katie replied. She hesitated. "Jayden, I need a favor."

"Anything."

"I need you to help my team. I'm out of commission until my leg heals, and Sage is down, too. They need a leader. I know it's asking a lot..."

"I'll do it. They need help. I can't believe Kenny, Maddie, Josh, and Zeke had no formal training growing up. As legacies, that's insane."

"Our parents learned on the job... I guess that's how Zordon rolls."

Jayden was concerned. These kids were in danger. Without better training, he worried they'd get themselves killed. He knew that would destroy Katie. "I'll get them in top shape in no time," he promised.

"One thing... If Josh says no, let him. His dad is still all messed up, so Josh never knows when he will have a chance to spend time with him. His reunion with Billy is more important right now."

Jayden nodded. "Okay, I'll go easy on Josh... But I expect everyone else to put in the effort."

"They will."

Three hours later, he had the team together. "Show me what you've got," he said. He played monster and took turns attacking them all. Thorn adapted the best. He was focused and fierce, and Jayden was impressed. Maddie stepped up well, too. She was quick and clever, and she clearly had a strong background in Martial Arts that helped make up for her lack of training as a Power Ranger. Best of all, every time Jayden kicked her down, Maddie got back up and learned from it. She never made the same mistake twice. Kenny was fast and agile, but it was clear he'd never been trained for battle. Jayden was going to need to work closely with him. Josh had also obviously never been trained to fight, but he was smart and managed to anticipate a lot of Jayden's attacks just by studying him. Jayden was mildly impressed because he was trying hard not to be predictable, yet he couldn't seem to catch Josh by surprise for more than a few seconds no matter how often he changed up his attacks. Then, there was Zeke.

Zeke was clearly resentful of the fact that there was another Red Ranger in town, especially one who was giving him orders. He fought back hard, trying to make it clear he was just as good as Jayden. While he might have a lot of raw talent, Zeke was too stubborn and too impulsive in battle, and Jayden repeatedly knocked him down.

"You're letting your pride get in the way," Jayden scolded him. "Stop trying to show off and focus, Zeke. This isn't a game. Showboating can get you killed."

Zeke mumbled a rude response under his breath. Jayden swept his legs out from under him. "Take five. Check your attitude before you come back," Jayden said before walking back to the others as Zeke struggled to his feet and stormed off.

"Crap! Is that the time?" Kenny asked. "I gotta go. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"You don't leave until I say you can," Jayden said sharply.

"I have gymnastics training. My coach will kill me if I'm late."

"Seriously? Kenny, you need to get your priorities straight. I expect one hundred percent commitment from you. Your lives are all at risk. You, especially, need to be here."

"My priorities are straight. I'll train, Jayden. I'll train harder than anyone if you think I need to... But I have to train for gymnastics, too. It's important."

"It's not life or death, Kenny. You can miss a day or two."

"It's my life, and I need to do this. If you have a problem with it, maybe you should talk to Katie. She gets it." Kenny walked away.

Jayden scowled. "Does anyone else want to leave?" He asked sarcastically. No one said anything, so he said, "Back to work!" He resumed his attacks, focusing on the kids who seemed to actually care about whether they lived or died in battle.

TWO DAYS LATER.

KAT

She met Merkhet in the woods. The evil woman radiated power. Kat was impressed. Merkhet was also beautiful, but highly intimidating to look at. Her features were dark, harsh, sharp, and commanded respect.

"Why do you work for Empress Rita and Lord Zedd?" Kat asked curiously. "You're clearly quite powerful on your own."

Merkhet laughed. "I do not work for them. I work with them. I answer to only one, and it is neither of those fools. However, I require their skill sets for my current mission, so we are partners. I help them and they will help me."

Kat understood now. Merkhet was in this for herself. She very much approved.

Merkhet handed her a syringe. "This is filled with the venom of the insect the boy is allergic to. One injection and his throat will close up. He'll die before anyone can save him," she said.

"I understand," Kat said. She ran a finger over the syringe. It was such a simple thing, yet so deadly. It was truly beautiful.

She'd already made sure her pest of a daughter wouldn't get in her way, re-opening the wound in her leg and keeping her in the hospital. She'd used magic and had gone into the hospital while invisible and broken Katie's knuckles, just in case the brat got any ideas. She wished she could have seen Katie's face when what was medically impossible had happened.

She walked into the park and waited for her opportunity. She spotted the boy, but was stunned to see who he was with.

Thorn laughed as the boy ran a hand through his hair. The intimacy between this boy and her nephew was clear... He was more than Thorn's friend.

Interesting, Kat thought, finally understanding the boy's significance. I wonder if Casey and Adam know their son is gay.

She shifted into cat form to watch them. It felt good to be able to do that again. It had been so long... She stretched and enjoyed seeing this new side of her nephew. The boys were clearly happy together. They smiled and laughed and were otherwise annoyingly cute together. Kat felt sick. She knew Rita was right. Something had to be done about him.

Turning invisible, Kat shifted back into human form. She walked closer to the boys. She clutched the syringe in her hand. She could do this. It would be easy. It was true that Thorn had never done anything to her, but she didn't care. Her Empress wanted this boy gone, and Kat had to deliver.

Kat stuck the syringe into the boy's chest and pulled it out as quickly as she could empty it. She didn't stick around to see what happened.

THORN

It happened so fast, he didn't understand at first. One minute, Caleb was fine. The next, he was clutching his chest and clawing at his throat.

"Caleb? What's wrong?" Thorn asked in terror.

Caleb tried to mouth a response that seemed to be can't breathe. Thorn had no idea what was happening. "Help!" He shouted. "Somebody, help!"

Caleb looked into his eyes as Thorn held him, willing him to live. "Don't leave me, Caleb," he said frantically. "Please... I love you!"

"What's he allergic to?" A woman with a cell phone asked.

"What? Nothing, as far as I know," Thorn said.

"He's in anaphylactic shock. He's been exposed to an allergen. I called 911. Help is coming."

Thorn held Caleb tighter. "You'll be okay," he promised. "Help is coming."

Caleb mouthed I love you before his eyes rolled up into his skull.

"No!" Thorn screamed. "No, you... You can't... You're okay. You have to be okay..." He was crying harder than he ever had in his life. It felt like a piece of his soul had just been ripped out of him. "I love you... I love you, Caleb... I love you..." He kept repeating the words, hoping they would somehow bring him back.

The paramedics found him still clinging to Caleb. They tried to revive him, but it was too late. "I'm so sorry," one of them said. "He's gone."

Thorn nodded numbly before walking away. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. "Hello, my little tadpole," his mother greeted him warmly.

"Mom... Can you come home?" He asked before he began crying again.

"What's wrong, Thorn? Honey, what happened?" She asked in alarm.

"Caleb's... He... He's gone."

"Oh Gods... Oh, my poor boy... What happened?"

"I don't know. They're saying it was anaphylaxis, but he didn't have any allergies he knew of. He... I was... He was in my arms, Mom..."

His mother sighed. "I'll come, Thorn... But I believe it was his time. I may not be able to save him, but I can try. I will try... For you."

He was stunned. "You don't interfere."

"Perhaps this time, I should."

Thorn was grateful. His mom was coming home, and maybe there was a small chance she could save Caleb. She doesn't think it will work, he reminded himself. She's just humoring you to make it hurt less.

He did the only thing he could. He headed to the hospital, still largely in shock.

ROCKY

He knew Kat had come home, but she'd disappeared again. She'd seemed really off when he saw her. Rocky was convinced she was hiding something. He hated to do it, but he went into her room. He hadn't intended to go through her things, but he noticed something sticking out from beneath her pillow. It was sharp.

Rocky picked up the pillow to reveal a syringe. "What the hell?" He wondered aloud. He knew Kat was having a hard time, but had she brought drugs into his house? Around his son?

"No way," Rocky decided aloud. "She's not on drugs... But something was in that syringe." He stared at the remnants of an unfamiliar fluid.

"Oh, Rocky..." Kat said, making him jump. "I really wish you hadn't found that."

"Kat, what the hell is going on?" Rocky asked.

"I didn't want to have to hurt you, Rocky. Not after you were so kind to me."

"What? So don't, Kat!"

"You left me no choice!" Before he could react, Kat pulled out a knife and slashed his throat.

Rocky grabbed his wound, shocked and desperate to stop the bleeding. He stared at his friend, not understanding, and stumbled back against the wall as he got dizzy. He slid to the floor, still clutching his throat.

"I'm sorry," Kat said. "It will be over quickly." With that, she grabbed her still mostly packed suitcases and ran from the house.

Zeke, Rocky thought. I'm all he has. I can't die. If he did, Adam and Casey were set to have custody, but what if his will vanished like Billy's had? He couldn't leave his son.

Help me, he thought desperately. He was surprised when he heard a response in his head.

Rocky? What happened? Casey's voice asked.

I'm dying, he thought. Bleeding out.

I'm coming.

What happened to not interfering?

Screw that! You're my friend, and you're all Zeke has, and I'm not letting you die. Consequences be damned.

That wasn't like Casey, but he was grateful. Maybe she could save him. Maybe he wouldn't die, alone on the floor, left for Zeke to come home and find.

Please, no, he prayed. Even if I die, don't let my son be the one to find me.

SAGE

She was set to be released from the hospital in a couple of hours. Sage was relieved until she saw her brother as he arrived at her room. "Sage..." He whimpered.

"Thorn? What's wrong?" She asked in alarm.

"Caleb's dead," he said numbly.

"What?! What happened?"

"Anaphylactic shock." He wept into her hair.

"Oh, Thorn... If I'd completed my Shaman journey, I could have saved him," Sage said, her guilt overwhelming her.

"No... No, you needed to come home... And even Mom says he can't be saved... But she's going to try anyway."

Sage was surprised. Apparently, this retreat had changed her mother. "I'm so sorry, Thorn. I hate to see you in pain." Her heart broke with his. Never had her twin been so crushed by grief and pain. She had to fix this.

"Go to Dad, okay?" Sage asked. "Take care of yourself." Thorn didn't argue. Troy came back in.

"Are you okay?" Troy asked.

"No... Ground me, Troy. I need to do something," Sage said. He didn't question her, but took her hand, keeping her focused.

Sage reached out, but instead of feeling Caleb, she felt someone else. Rocky was bleeding out at home. She knew Zeke was most likely on his way back to that house. I can't let Zeke find him, she thought. She tried to heal him, but felt him slip away. Rocky stopped breathing.

Don't you dare! Sage thought. She grabbed his soul, not even sure how she was doing it, and began to heal him. After several moments, he took a sharp, pained breath and opened his eyes.

"I did it!" Sage cried as she came out of her trance. "I saved Rocky! Now it's Caleb's turn."

"Sage, you're using up a lot of energy," Troy said cautiously. "Be careful. Some people are meant to stay dead."

"Thorn needs him. I can't leave my twin broken. I can do this, Troy... I'm meant to do this." She was sure of that much.

Troy nodded. "Okay," he said. "I'm here."

Sage began searching the realm of the spirits. Rocky had been easy to fix... Caleb was going to be significantly more complicated. Sage didn't care. She had to do this.

She found him looking frightened and confused. "Sage?" He asked.

"It's going to be okay, Caleb," Sage promised. she took his hand in hers and began to heal him, willing the toxin to leave his body. Finally, she kissed his forehead. "Go back to your body, Caleb."

"No! He belongs here. He may not leave," a powerful entity said. Sage was certain he was an Underworld God of some sort.

"Caleb, run!" She said.

"I don't understand," Caleb said.

"Just run! Tell Thorn I love him... And I'm sorry." She pushed Caleb out of the spirit realm and turned to face her fate.

"The price for a soul is a soul," the deity told her coldly. "You may never leave."

Sage was too weak from having resurrected two people to fight a deity. She knew she was in for a literal battle for her life as she felt her body slip into a coma.

CALEB

He inhaled sharply and sat up, confused. He felt cold. He was naked. Why was he naked? And why was his bed made of cold metal?

Caleb took a moment to look around. He realized with a start that he was surrounded by corpses. He understood where he was now. This was a morgue.

"What's happening to me?" He wondered aloud. He removed the tag attached to his toe and searched for his clothes, but they were nowhere to be seen. Desperate, he wrapped the sheet he'd been covered with around his body and stood up. Whatever was going on, he had to get out of there. He cautiously looked up and down the hallway before leaving the room. A quick search of the nearby rooms ultimately paid off when he found several pairs of clean scrubs. He quickly pulled on a set and took several deep breaths. He was still confused, but at least he wasn't naked anymore. Things were looking up.

AUTHOR NOTE: The next chapter contains some scenes which may be difficult to read because of potentially triggering themes. Please be prepared for that before you read it. I hope you're enjoying the fic so far.


	9. Chapter Nine

ZEKE

He'd arrived home to find his father covered in blood. Thankfully, he seemed to be alright. Casey had arrived right behind him. As Zeke stared at his father in confusion, Casey wrapped him in a hug.

"Thank God," she mumbled.

"What happened?" Zeke asked.

"Kat," his father replied.

"What about her?" Zeke asked.

"It was Kat... She slashed my throat..." His father seemed to be in shock. Zeke couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"What? Why would she do that?"

"She's turned..." Casey said in an eerie whisper. "Katherine has given in to her dark side."

"But... She's a Power Ranger!" Zeke protested.

"When Kat first came around, she was Rita's puppet," his father said. "She nearly destroyed Kimberly. After she helped cause an accident that could have seriously injured Kim, she changed... She admitted the truth and broke Rita's control... Just like Tommy, Kat chose to be good, and when Kim left us, she picked Kat to take her place... But apparently, she's lost her mind."

"What do we do?" Zeke asked. "If Kat's really evil... We have to warn Katie and Tommy!"

"I'll tell my brother what happened," Casey said. "Rocky... How did you survive?"

"Sage... It was all Sage. She sensed I was in danger and she saved me... Like you would have," his father said.

"But Sage isn't here... And she's not a Shaman yet. How did she do this? Even I had difficulty reaching you from a distance."

"I don't know... She's strong, Casey. And I owe her my life... I died. She brought me back."

Zeke froze. "You... What?" He demanded.

"I bled out, Zeke. I felt myself stop breathing and I know my heart stopped. Sage brought me back."

Zeke had never been so terrified in his life. His dad had died... Actually died. He was here now only because his friend had freaky hippie powers like her mom that had somehow activated to save him. Zeke didn't have anyone else. His dad's parents had died a few years back and his mom hadn't been able to run away from him and his dad fast enough. She had big dreams and they were holding her back. Zeke barely ever heard from her and he couldn't imagine what would have happened if she had to be tracked down to take him in. Adam and Casey were his Godparents, so maybe he'd have been left in their care, but he could just as easily have ended up in the system like Josh. Zeke shuddered as he realized how close he'd come to losing his dad and possibly everything else. He flung his arms around his father, not caring about the blood, and started to cry, not caring about that either.

"I'm okay, Zeke," his father promised him as he held him. "Everything's going to be okay."

"You can't leave me," Zeke said through his tears. "Promise me! Promise you'll never leave."

"I'm not going anywhere, Zeke. I promise. I'm okay. Everything's okay."

"I have to find Thorn," Casey said gently as she stroked Zeke's hair affectionately. It was remarkably soothing. "Take care of each other." She left them alone.

Zeke continued to cry, unable to stop now that he'd let himself start. He always held the pain of his mother abandoning him in and buried it deep, but on the rare occasion he let it out, it threatened to destroy him. That combined with the reality that his father had technically died that day was too much to handle. He had to let it out or he'd go insane. His father patiently continued to hold him and neither of them said a word until Zeke had calmed down.

"Pizza?" His dad asked.

It was so simple, so ridiculous, and so normal for his father to suggest that such an emotional outburst could be resolved with pizza that Zeke laughed. "Pizza," he agreed. His dad was alive. Everything else would be okay.

THORN

He still couldn't breathe. Thorn sat outside the hospital trying to process what had happened. His boyfriend had died in his arms... Caleb was gone. He'd never hear his laugh again or feel him running his fingers through his hair. It was over. Thorn had never been so broken in his life.

He noticed a boy standing a few feet away looking as upset as he felt. The boy saw the tears in Thorn's eyes and asked, "Are you okay?"

"No," Thorn admitted. He had no energy left to lie. "My... My boyfriend just died." Had he just come out to a total stranger? Yes. He decided in that moment never to deny who Caleb had been to him ever again. He had deserved better than that in life, and he was going to at least give him that respect now.

The boy looked at him with sad eyes. "I lost mine, too," he said.

Thorn stared at him. It wasn't so odd, really. They were at a hospital. People died all the time there, so coming across someone else who was grieving made sense. Maybe the Universe his mom always talked about had put them in the same place at the same time.

"What happened?" Thorn asked cautiously.

"He got into an accident. "

"I'm sorry... Caleb... He... He had some sort of allergic reaction. They don't know what caused it yet."

"That's harsh." The boy paused. "I'm Taylor." He extended his hand.

Thorn shook it. Suddenly, he felt more drawn to Taylor, although he wasn't sure why. "Thorn," he said.

"That's a really hot name," Taylor said with a laugh.

"Um... Thanks?"

"Thorn... Do you want to go somewhere quieter with me?"

Thorn wasn't sure why, but he was compelled to say yes. Suddenly, he wanted nothing more than to run as far away from this hospital as he could get. He took Taylor's hand and let him lead the way.

CASEY

She would have gone straight in search of her son, but her phone rang. "Casey..." Adam said, his voice cracking.

"What's wrong?" Casey asked.

"Sage needs you... She's in a coma."

"Saving Rocky must have been too much for her... Oh, my poor girl..."

"Troy said it's more than that. After she saved Rocky, she tried to save Caleb. I have no idea if it worked, but that's when she slipped into the coma."

"Two souls? Oh no... Adam, I don't think Caleb was meant to be saved... And with her having already saved Rocky... The Gods will be angry. They aren't going to just let her go this time."

"Casey... Can we save her?"

"In the most technical sense, no. None of us can go where she is without risking making it worse... But I can try to keep her alive until she can find her way back. I can keep healing her soul, and I have a friend who can keep her body alive. It's her best chance."

"Hurry, Casey. Troy's trying to anchor her, but I can see how quickly it's draining him."

"I'm on my way. I'll call my friend and have him meet me there." Casey prayed she wasn't too late.

ZEDD

He laughed at how well his brilliant plan was going to turn out. He knew this wouldn't fail. The Power Rangers were vulnerable. Now was the time to strike!

"Taylor's well on his way to completing his task," Zedd said proudly. "Our son is such a delight." He stroked Aisha's leg. After they'd trapped her in his and Rita's prison realm, Zedd had used magic to force her to produce four children for him. He'd aged them all and was setting them loose on their first mission. Taylor was the younger of the two boys. He was loyal enough, as long as Zedd made it clear what he'd do to Aisha if Taylor defied him. The girls, who were the two youngest, obeyed him for the same reason. These children wanted to protect their mother from any further torture. The oldest boy, however, enjoyed inflicting pain and being evil. He made Zedd incredibly proud.

"Soon, the power coins will be ours!" Zedd declared. "Our children will not fail. No one can resist their powers of seduction for long. And if they do fail, we'll just have to destroy them and start over."

"Don't hurt them," Aisha begged.

"Did I give you permission to speak?" Zedd demanded.

"No," Aisha said quickly. "I'm sorry."

"What was that?"

"No, my Lord... I'm sorry, my Lord." Aisha stared at her feet.

"That's better." He liked keeping the former Yellow Ranger as a pet. She may have changed her destiny, but Rita and Zedd remembered both realities. Aisha had been quite the little pest in her time as a Power Ranger. This revenge was glorious.

KENNY

He wasn't sure what had come over him. He didn't know Tye. She was just some girl he'd run into, but all of a sudden, he'd felt compelled to bring her to the last place he wanted to be... His father's house.

Kenny sat on his old bed with this girl he'd never met before. She started getting very physical very fast, and Kenny pulled back. "Tye, wait... Why are we doing this?" He was so confused. He knew this was wrong, but he couldn't seem to stop.

"I don't know... It just feels right," Tye said. She went for his zipper.

"Tye... I don't do things like this. Ever."

"I don't either."

"No, I mean... I... I haven't... I've never..."

"You're a virgin?" She hesitated for a minute.

"I'm really busy... I know it's super lame, but I don't exactly have time for things like this... And I... I sort of wanted to wait until I got married." He was embarrassed. This beautiful girl wanted him. Why was he being so lame?

A person's first time should be special, he thought. He didn't want this. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he tell this stranger no?

"Why wait?" She asked. She started to do more again. Kenny's head was fuzzy. He couldn't think straight.

The last thing he clearly registered was Tye saying, "I'm sorry. You seem like a really nice guy." Then, he blacked out.

ZEKE

He needed air. Zeke went for a walk to clear away the last of his nervous breakdown. He saw a girl coming toward him. "Hi, Zeke," she said.

"Do I know you?" Zeke asked in confusion.

"My name is Tye...And I want to get to know you."

Something seemed off about this girl. Every instinct inside of him was screaming at Zeke to run. As Tye touched his arm, however, he couldn't.

"Don't you want me?" She asked.

Zeke hesitated. Her touch felt good... Too good. Why the hell were his hormones suddenly out of control? He took a deep breath.

"I'm not in the mood," Zeke said firmly.

"Why not?" Tye asked playfully, touching him again.

"Because my father died today!" He snapped at her. All of the emotions hit him again. This time, instead of allowing them to break him, he found strength in the pain. He closed his eyes as he clung to his power coin. He thought of his father. He thought of Maddie, who was the only girl he really wanted if he was being perfectly honest with himself. He'd been crushing on her for awhile now. He clung to them with every ounce of his self-control and it gave him the slightest edge against this girl.

"Go." Tye said.

"Huh?" Zeke asked.

"Go! Run! Get out of here before I change my mind!"

He saw the way she was trembling. This girl was terrified of someone. "Tye... Wait. I can help you," Zeke said. "Whoever you're afraid of, I can protect you."

"Just go! He's angry... Your friends are in danger. They're after the power coins. Get out of here before he comes!" She shoved him for emphasis.

Zeke wanted to stay behind to protect her, but if someone was really trying to steal the power coins, he had to warn the others. Protecting their powers meant protecting the world, and he knew that had to come first. He immediately teleported to the Command Center.

THORN

How had this happened? Thorn felt tears running down his cheeks as he allowed Taylor to try to make him forget his pain. This is wrong, he thought.

Taylor kissed him and wiped away his tears. "It's okay," he whispered. "Use me, Thorn. Just use me to forget."

"Please..." Thorn whispered. "Please make it stop hurting... Please... I can't breathe anymore..." He was sobbing harder now. He would have felt pathetic, but Taylor shared his loss. Surely he would understand? "Please..." He whispered again. He hated himself for it. Caleb had just died. What the hell kind of a person would act like this so soon after the person they claimed to love died? But Taylor made the pain ease up a little, and Thorn needed that so desperately right now...

By the time Thorn felt his energy rapidly fading, it was too late. "No..." He said. "No. What are you?"

"If you fight it, you'll only lose energy faster," Taylor said. "Just relax. It'll be over soon."

Thorn tried to fight. He knew enough about the supernatural to understand that Taylor must be some sort of incubus. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure how to fight him. As he began to black out, Taylor grabbed his power coin and Thorn was helpless to stop him.

"Sorry, Guy," Taylor said as he shoved the coin in his pocket and fled. Thorn blacked out before he could do anything else.

MADDIE

She was walking home when a tall guy she'd never seen before approached her. "Hello, Maddie," he said.

"Um... Who are you?" Maddie asked. She was fairly certain she didn't know him.

He stroked her arm. It felt a little better than it should have, but Maddie pulled away. "Let's have some fun, Beautiful," he said instead of answering her question.

"No thanks," Maddie replied firmly. She started to walk away. He grabbed her.

"You want this."

"Not even a little," Maddie said. "You're not my type." She broke his hold with a swift kick to his shin.

He was angry now. The power and raw evil radiating off of him was terrifying. Maddie had never felt anything so dark before.

"You're not going anywhere!" He pulled her against him.

She was scared. The feeling was alien to her, because it wasn't just a small fear she could push aside. She was paralyzed by it. You're the Yellow Ranger. You're tougher than this! She scolded herself. She was the daughter of the original Red Ranger. She couldn't give in to her fear. Jason would be so disappointed in her...

"You want this!" He said again.

She could feel her hormones kicking in. Somehow, this bastard was manipulating her. No! Maddie thought. Not today, scumbag! She was still scared, and she held on to that fear because it was stronger than his magic. With a hard kick to his groin, Maddie escaped and ran for her life.

She felt the power coin fall out of her pocket. She knew she should go back for it, but he was back on his feet, and he looked homicidal. Maddie had to choose between saving herself and saving the power coin. It destroyed something in her when she chose her physical safety. She continued to run until she got to Jason's Dojo.

He was just leaving as she got there. "Jason!" She shouted. She ducked past him into the safety of the building.

"Maddie?" Jason stared at her. "Sweetheart, what happened?"

"Someone attacked me," Maddie said. "He... He kept touching me and..."

Jason's face turned unreadable and she knew he was ready to kill. "Did he hurt you?" He asked.

"No... No, I got away."

Jason wrapped her in his arms. "It's okay, Maddie. You're safe now."

"I dropped it!" Maddie cried suddenly.

"Dropped what?"

"My power coin. He has it, Jason!"

Jason hugged her tighter. "We'll get it back," he promised. "Let me take you home."

"Mom's out of town... She's trying to track Aisha down."

"Look, the kids are with Zack and his family at the hotel. I can stay with you, or you can crash at my house. You shouldn't be alone."

Maddie nodded. "Your place," she said. She figured this guy would be less likely to look there than at her house. She didn't let go of Jason's hand as he led her to his car. "Thanks, Dad," she said.

Jason smiled at her. It was the first time she'd called him that, but if there'd ever been a time it felt right, it was now. "Anytime, Maddie. You're always welcome in my house."

She was still terrified, but she kept that to herself. She knew as long as she was with Jason, she'd be safe.

JOSH

He got a text from Zeke saying someone was coming after the power coins, so he'd hidden his in the one place he knew it would be safe... His father's safe. The only way in was with the code.

Five minutes later, as he locked up Tommy's garage, he was confronted by a girl. She walked up to him. "Look," she said. "I know you don't want me to touch you, so here's your choice. Give me the power coin and I won't hurt you."

She couldn't have been more than eleven. "No," Josh said. "I'm not doing that."

She tried touching him, going right for his zipper. Josh jumped back. He didn't want to hurt her, but he also didn't want her to touch him. Zeke had told him what they were trying to pull.

"Maybe he'll listen now," a boy said.

"Help me, Taylor. He's not reacting," the girl said.

"His fear is stronger than any hormones he might have," the boy called Taylor said. He was probably Josh's age. He was definitely more of a physical threat than the girl. He grabbed Josh and pinned him against his body before encouraging the girl to touch him.

"No..." Josh whispered.

"You can stop this, Josh. We don't have to hurt you. Give us the power coin and you can walk away. We'll let you go."

"I can't," Josh said. "I won't give it to you."

"Then we'll have some fun. We'll make you cry... And we'll still take what we want."

"Go ahead." Josh took a deep breath. "Whatever you do, I've survived worse... And you'll never find it."

Things were about to escalate. He was terrified, but it didn't matter. He had to protect his power coin. The safety of the world depended on keeping those coins out of the hands of evil. Josh closed his eyes as a tear slipped by him and tried to pretend he was anywhere else.

ANGELINE

She couldn't interfere. She knew she couldn't... But when Angie saw Josh willing to sacrifice his own safety, she had to step in.

She appeared suddenly and cast a spell to put Josh to sleep so he wouldn't see her. "Leave him alone!" She shouted at the people before her. "Go. Leave this place."

"Make us, Princess," Taylor practically spat at her.

"I gave you an order!" She pulled Josh away from him and carefully laid him down on the ground. "That's enough of this."

"Look, you may be safe as Rita's precious savior, but we're not! If you don't let us do this, Tessa's screwed."

"She'll be fine."

"He tortured Tye because she failed to get the red power coin. The only reason she's alive is she got the pink one. If Tessa goes back without the blue coin, he'll kill her... But he'll torture her first." He stared at Tessa, the youngest of the bunch. Angie saw genuine fear in his eyes. "You're safe... You don't know what it's like for us! We're just his toys! He uses us and he doesn't care about us!"

She knew so much more than her half-brother could understand. "I get that. They may treat me better than they treat you, but I grew up in foster care, and that sort of thing happens all the time."

"Right. Whatever, Princess. You don't understand us. And now, he's going to kill Tessa! But he'll rape her first."

Angie's heart ached. "But she's, what, eleven?" She asked. Was her father really just like the monsters she'd met growing up?

"Yeah. He doesn't care about that. And our mom can't help us and Rita doesn't care about us. No one does."

"I do."

"Sure. If you say so."

She sighed. "Leave him alone and I'll get you his power coin." She knew how Josh's mind worked. There was only one place he'd have hidden it. "Go. I'll get it to you."

Taylor glared at her, but he took Tessa and left. Angie looked at Josh. She slipped into the garage and carefully put the code into the safe. She'd seen Josh open it. She pulled out his power coin and hid it in her pocket.

"I'm so sorry, Josh," she whispered. "I saved you... But I have to save Tessa, too." Betraying him broke something in her. It shouldn't have bothered her. She was supposed to be evil... She hated the Power Rangers for trapping her parents and for laughing as an innocent child had died, but Josh hadn't been part of that. He was her friend, the kind boy who'd saved her from a would-be rapist and other bullies. She couldn't turn her back on him, but she'd just stolen the very thing he'd fought so hard to protect.

"She's only a little girl..." She whispered. "I know you'd understand... But... I'm still sorry." Using a levitation spell, she picked him up and carried him to his room, tucking him safely into his bed before leaving. He'd wake up eventually. Until then, at least he was out of danger.

KENNY

He woke up with his mind still fuzzy. He couldn't remember what had happened at first, but he knew he was in his old room. As he heard his father come in the door downstairs, panic kicked in. Kenny quickly barricaded the door, an old habit he'd gotten into when his father was at his worst.

"I have to get out of here," he mumbled. He realized he was naked, something that hadn't fully registered as the instinct to protect himself had kicked in. That raised all sorts of uncomfortable questions. What the hell was going on?

He found his clothes and got dressed quickly. Flashes began hitting him. There was a strange girl... They'd started kissing... Then it had escalated... Had he...? Had they slept together? Kenny shook his head. They couldn't have... He wouldn't have done that, especially with a stranger.

As his father started coming up the stairs, Kenny knew he couldn't focus on that. He had to get out of there. That was all that mattered. He'd have to figure out the rest later. He climbed out of his window and used the tree he had used to sneak out so many times before to escape.

JOSH

He woke up in his bed. He was covered, alone, and confused, but he was pretty sure he hadn't been violated. He ran down to the garage to check the safe. His heart sank as he realized his power coin was gone. It was impossible, but somehow, they'd stolen it.

He sank to his knees and tried not to panic. What would happen now? He was powerless. He'd spent too much of his time in the last three years that way. He wished his dad were there, but he was at the Command Center... A place Josh could no longer get to on his own. As this hit him, Josh started to cry. He was still crying when Kenny got home.

"What's wrong?" Kenny asked.

"I tried to stop them... But they stole my power coin," Josh said numbly.

Kenny paled. He slipped his hand into his pocket. "Shit..." He whispered.

"They stole yours, too?" Josh asked.

"It's missing... But I don't remember much," Kenny said. The way he was shaking told Josh he remembered enough. Josh immediately pulled himself together.

"It'll be okay," he said. "We'll get them back. Whatever happened, Kenny... It's not your fault."

"Nothing happened except I screwed up," Kenny said. "I'm tired. I'm... I'm gonna go to bed."

Josh didn't stop him. He knew the look in Kenny's eyes. He needed space. He also knew that what had nearly happened to him had almost definitely happened to Kenny. He wanted to comfort him. After all, he understood... But he knew Kenny wasn't ready to let anyone in and he respected that. When the time was right, he'd be there for him. Until then, he needed to figure out a plan. At least two of them had lost their power coins. They had to get them back.

KATIE

It was Jayden who broke the news. Katie could tell by the look on his face that it was bad. "What happened?" She asked.

"To start... Sage is in a coma."

"But she was fine!"

"She saved two lives today... Caleb's and Rocky's."

"I don't understand..."

Jayden sighed. "Katie... Your mom turned evil. She killed Caleb, and Rocky found proof, so she killed him. Sage brought him back, but when she tried to save Caleb, she got stuck in the coma."

"Did it work?"

"He vanished from the morgue, so I'd guess that's a yes."

Katie sighed. She wasn't surprised her mother had turned. She knew she had it in her... But that didn't make it any easier. "Is my dad okay?"

"He's trying to be. I think he's pretty freaked out, but he's staying strong for the team. Are you okay?"

"I knew this was coming, in a way. I'll be fine. Tell me more."

"Several people on the team had their power coins stolen," Jayden said.

"What?! How?"

"The best we can tell is someone sent a group after them... Possibly a group of siblings. They seem to have some sort of succubus and incubus abilities, and they seduced them."

"Who did they get? Zeke, I assume? He's a hornball."

"No, actually. Zeke resisted the one who went after him. His power coin is safe. In fact, other than you and Sage, who are both safe in the hospital, Zeke was the only one whose coin wasn't stolen."

Katie was stunned. "All of them? Thorn?"

"They used his grief... The guy pretended he'd lost his boyfriend, too. Thorn's kicking himself. He's furious, too... I don't think he knows Caleb may be alive."

"What about Josh?"

"They tried... He doesn't know how, but he blacked out. It seems like it stopped there, but they got his coin."

Katie was relieved Josh hadn't been hurt, but furious his coin had been stolen. "Maddie?"

"She kicked the guy in the balls and escaped, but she dropped her coin."

"That's my girl... But damnit, they have her coin, too..."

"Kenny went straight to bed. Josh is pretty sure it was bad. But his coin's definitely missing."

"So we have three coins... One Ranger is in a coma, one is Zeke, and then there's me... Shit." Katie took a deep breath and slammed her wrists on the table, shattering her casts.

"What are you doing?" Jayden asked in horror.

"What I have to. My team needs me. Use magic. Stabilize my leg. I'm going to catch that bitch I call a mother and get the coins back. In the meantime, we need a team... Talk to Troy. See if his team will come help. They can channel other Rangers, including the original team. They might be able to fill in."

Jayden didn't argue. Her leg felt better, although her hands really hurt. She called her father. "Sign me out or I'll just teleport," she said. He knew better than to argue. He'd been a team leader enough times to understand why she needed to do this. One way or another, Katie was going to get the power coins back and make her mother pay for her betrayal, but first, she needed to get out of that hospital.


	10. Chapter Ten

ZEDD

He was delighted his children had succeeded in stealing the power coins. When Tanner, the oldest, approached him, he knew something wasn't right. "You have a traitor, Father," Tanner said.

"All of you were successful... Aside from Tye, and we punished her. That scar on her face will forever remind her of the consequence of failing me," Zedd said. "None of your siblings will betray me."

"It was not any of my mother's children... It's the Sorceress, Father. Your princess is not loyal."

Zedd scowled. "That is a very serious accusation, Tanner."

"She has an affection for the Blue Ranger. It softens her. Yesterday, she saved him from Taylor and Tessa. They were doing fine, but Angeline interfered. She allowed them to have his coin, but she protected him from their magic."

"Are you certain?"

"Tessa told me herself. She was worried you'd be angry with her."

"The child followed my orders and delivered the coin. She has not failed. None of you are strong enough to take on Angeline alone." He shook his head. "I will handle her. Go."

"Yes, Father." Tanner bowed before leaving.

Zedd cast a communication spell he'd been saving for an emergency. Desperate times called for desperate measures.

"Hey, Ed!" Rito cried enthusiastically as Zedd projected before him. "How's my sister?"

Zedd groaned. His brother-in-law had not changed. "It's Zedd, you buffoon!" He shouted.

"You're looking a little see-through there, Ed. Everything okay?"

Zedd was starting to regret his decision. Still, he had no choice but to proceed. "Rito, the time has come for you to help us. Our daughter's loyalties are in question. I need you to remind her why it would be unwise to betray us."

"Sure thing, Ed! Anything for you and Rita! What should I do?"

"Scare her. Terrify her, in fact. Attack her with every inch of brutality you have! I ask only that you not kill her. Just send her a message. We still need her alive."

"Tough love. Got it."

As he broke the communication, Zedd hoped Rito would not fail him for once in his miserable existence.

THORN

He didn't believe what he was seeing at first. "Caleb?" He asked in shock.

Caleb was pale, but other than that, he looked okay. "Thorn!" He cried as he flung himself into his arms. He was trembling violently. "I don't know what's going on... I... I woke up in a morgue, and I stole a pair of scrubs because I couldn't find my clothes, and I've been hiding ever since because... I think I died, Thorn. I don't understand what's happening to me." He was crying.

Thorn held him tightly. "You're here... You're okay..." He started to cry, too. "You're alive... I'm here, Caleb. And I'm never letting you go again. Everything will be okay."

"How?"

"I don't know... We'll figure it out." He kissed him and tried not to think about the fact that he'd slept with someone else the night before. It wasn't your fault, he told himself. Taylor used you. He manipulated you and stole your power coin and it's not your fault...

He was filled with rage. That was a very unfamiliar sensation for Thorn. Suddenly, all he wanted to do was destroy everyone who'd hurt him and Caleb.

"I love you" he said to Caleb. "I love you so much..."

"I love you, too... I'm just so confused," Caleb replied.

"I know... I'll help you figure out what happened." He wanted to tell him the whole truth then and there, but the secret of the Power Rangers had to be protected at all costs... If they were even Power Rangers anymore. Their power coins were gone. They were nothing now...

Thorn started crying harder. "Thorn? Talk to me," Caleb said with concern.

"I just... I'm really glad you're back." That much was true, but Thorn desperately wanted to tell him the rest. He'd kept too many secrets from him, and Caleb deserved better.

KATIE

She spotted her cousin and his very confused-looking boyfriend. "Thank God you found him," Katie said. "Caleb... Are you okay?"

"I don't know," Caleb admitted. "I feel like I'm losing it."

Katie looked at Thorn and could see how badly he wanted to explain things. "You're not crazy, Caleb. You died yesterday."

Caleb and Thorn both stared at her. "How?" Caleb asked.

"My mother..."

Thorn's face turned hard and angry. "What?" He demanded.

"My bitch of a mother turned evil. She injected Caleb with something he was apparently extremely allergic to."

"Aunt Kat... Why? Why would she do that? Are you sure?'" Thorn asked.

"Rocky found the syringe, so she slit his throat. Yeah, I'm sure."

"Oh God... Is Rocky...?"

"He's alive... Now. Sage brought him back."

"Sage brought him back?"

"And then she saved Caleb... But she's stuck, Thorn... Sage is in a coma."

Thorn's face fell. "I thought I couldn't feel her because I was too upset about Caleb..."

"She'll be okay. She's strong. But your mom says this is her Shaman test... And she can't fail this one, or... Or she won't wake up."

"Thorn... Oh God... I'm so sorry," Caleb whispered in horror. He was taking a lot on faith. The kid was good with weird.

Katie sighed. "Executive decision time!" She declared. "Caleb... This happened because my mom used to be evil. She worked for Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd, and then she walked away... And became the second Pink Ranger."

"Your mom was a Power Ranger?" Caleb asked.

"Katie..." Thorn said with a warning in his tone.

Katie continued speaking. "Yeah... And now she's chosen evil again, and I have to stop her," she said. "...Because I'm the current White Ranger, and I'm co-leader of the team with Sage, the Green Ranger... And I'm telling you all of this because Thorn here is the Black Ranger, and he trusts you, so I do, too. My mother killed you. I think you deserve to know the truth."

Caleb and Thorn were both staring at her again. "I... I'm sorry," Thorn said. "I wanted to tell you."

"My boyfriend is a Power Ranger..." Caleb said in awe. "That explains everything!" He laughed. "You're amazing, Thorn!" He kissed him.

"There. No more secrets," Katie said with a smile. "Enjoy. I need to go track a bitch down."

She walked away knowing she'd done the right thing. She was mildly amused that Caleb hadn't at least asked for proof. It seemed he had no trouble believing his boyfriend was a superhero. She hoped he'd be okay now that he knew the truth.

ANGELINE

She was walking by the Youth Center when she felt an odd presence. Unfortunately, she sensed it too late and whoever it was had her head cracked open before she could react.

She stared at the monster in confusion. He wasn't one of hers. He looked like some freaky talking skeleton. He came at her hard and Angie was too concussed to defend herself. She couldn't remember how to use her magic. She was a sitting duck, and she was positive she was going to die.

Suddenly, someone tapped the monster on his shoulder. He turned around and was immediately kicked in the face. He let out a cry of, "Hey, what gives? I never did anything to you!"

"It's not nice to pick on girls," her rescuer said. Angie stared at him in shock. It was the Pink Ranger, Kenny... The same Pink Ranger who'd lost his power coin the night before, making him completely powerless right now, yet he'd just risked his life to save hers.

"I didn't sign up for this!" The skeleton said as Kenny continued to use his natural speed and agility to attack him. The coward turned and fled.

Kenny took a moment to catch his breath as he extended a hand toward her to help her up. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Angie hesitated. This was the same boy who'd watched and laughed as an innocent child was brutally murdered. How was that possible? Unless Merkhet had tricked her...

Angie took his hand and got back to her feet. She was dizzy and stumbled, but the Pink Ranger steadied her. "Easy," he said gently. "That's a pretty nasty head injury." He tore a strip of his shirt like it was nothing and put pressure on the wound. Angie flinched away from him. "I won't hurt you," he promised quickly. She believed him. "I'm Kenny. You go to Angel Grove High, right? I think I've seen you around."

"Yes," she replied cautiously. "I'm Angie... Angeline, really, but... I sort of like Angie more."

"Nice to meet you, Angie. I wish it had been under better circumstances. Let's get you to a hospital."

"No!" She panicked. Hospitalization meant getting locked down at the group home. She definitely didn't want them watching her that closely, and with her head injury, if anyone tried anything, she couldn't just use a spell to defend herself.

"Angie... You're hurt. You need a doctor." Kenny paused. "What are you afraid of? Maybe I can help."

"I just... I need to lay low for a few days." She looked at her IPod, which had been crushed under the skeleton's feet. It was broken beyond repair. Angeline almost started to cry. It seemed so stupid, but it was the only thing that ever gave her any comfort, and now it was gone.

"That looks pretty bad," Kenny said.

"It's destroyed." She sighed.

"Maybe you can get it fixed... Listen... Do you know why he attacked you?"

"No. I don't even know who he was."

"Rito Revolto. I recognize him from... old news reports."

"Rito?" she repeated.

"Yeah, brother of the infamous Rita Repulsa."

That thing is my uncle? She thought in shock. Why had he attacked her?

"You saved me," she said. If this monster was her mother's brother, he must be insanely powerful. "You could have been killed."

Kenny shrugged. "It was the right thing to do," he replied.

He would never have let Lexa die... They must not have been able to see her. Lexa was mute. She wouldn't have screamed, Angie realized.

"Thank you," Angie managed to say.

"No problem... So, about your head... Can I call your parents?" He asked.

"I don't have any," she said awkwardly. As far as everyone was concerned, that was still true. "I live in a group home."

Kenny looked sympathetic. "One of my best friends just got out of a place like that."

"Josh. I know him."

"He's the best."

"Yeah... Actually... Can I see him, Kenny? He can probably fix my head up. Hospital visits get... complicated when you're an orphan."

Kenny nodded. "Sure, I'll bring you to him."

Angie was relieved. Josh was brilliant. She knew he could take care of her. They arrived at Josh's new home shortly after.

"Angeline?" Josh asked. "What happened?"

"Rito Revolto," Kenny said. "You know, from the news archives?"

Josh's eyes went wide. "Rito hasn't been seen since the Power Rangers defeated his sister and her husband... Why would he attack you, Angeline?"

"Angie's not sure... Maybe it was for kicks? Who knows?" Kenny asked. "The point is, she's hurt, and... Well, she didn't want to go to the hospital."

Josh nodded. He was already looking at her injuries. "Come on," he said. "I can clean that up for you."

He was remarkably gentle as he tended to her wounds. Angie almost told him everything. It was tempting. He was her friend, and he was taking care of her, and one of his friends had committed a selfless act by saving her life even though he had no way to protect himself. Maybe she'd been wrong about them. Maybe the Power Rangers weren't the real enemy.

Your parents are trapped in jail because of them, she reminded herself. Or because of their parents, anyway... And they would never accept you if they knew who you really were.

"So, what are you into?" Kenny asked in an attempt to distract her as Josh cleaned out the gash on her head.

"Not much," Angie said with a shrug. "I keep to myself, mostly... Listen to music, watch stupid movies on my IPod..." She frowned. "Or I did, anyway..."

Kenny touched her arm. "I guess you can't just replace it... What sort of stuff do you like to watch?"

"Monster High," she said before realizing how lame she must sound. "I know, I know... It's pathetic. But I always felt like a bit of a freak, with no parents and moving between group homes and foster families all the time... It was comforting."

"That's not pathetic. And hey, it's totally cool to watch cheesy stuff. I watch wrestling, which is really ridiculous at times, but I love it. In fact, when my wonderful gymnastics career inevitably comes to an end, I'm thinking of becoming a wrestler... But please don't tell my mom that." He flashed her a really bright smile and she couldn't help but smile back.

"You're a gymnast?"

"He's a gold medalist," Josh said proudly. "Kenny's pretty much the best gymnast in Angel Grove... Probably in all of California."

"I don't know about that," Kenny said awkwardly. "But yeah, I'm a gymnast. It's kind of my entire life."

"That's kind of cool," Angie said honestly. She didn't know a whole lot about gymnastics, but she understood now why Kenny moved with such agility.

"There," Josh said. "You're all patched up."

"Thanks, Josh. I owe you," she said.

"You owe me nothing. Just take care of yourself, okay?"

She nodded. "I have to go back... It's getting late."

Josh hesitated. "I wish you could stay here. I don't like knowing you're stuck in that place."

"It's okay. I'm fine."

He didn't say anything else, but Angie knew he was worried about her. Kenny insisted on walking her back to the group home. She didn't protest. It was nice to have company for once. For a moment, she almost felt normal.

TANYA

She was still trying to come up with a plan to rescue Aisha when she discovered something unexpected. Tanya walked in on Tia levitating in the air. She gasped, which must have startled the girl, because Tia dropped down and just barely managed to land on her feet.

"You... You have magic," Tanya said.

"Yes," Tia admitted. "I can do that, and I can travel places... I walk the realms."

"Amazing! Tia, if I figure out where your mother is, do you think you can get us to her?"

"Yes. I know that I can..."

Imani ran over to them. "I have magic, too!" She said cheerfully.

"Mani, shush!" Tia said harshly. "You can't tell just anyone that sort of thing. Mama warned you about that."

"But you told her, and Mama trusts her, so she's okay!" Imani insisted. "I can talk to animals. They're my friends. They understand me, and I understand them, and it's really cool!"

Tanya smiled at the younger girl. "Do you want to show me, Mani?"

Imani nodded eagerly and practically dragged Tanya outside. She found a lioness not far from them. "Come, Friend!" She called. The lioness, to Tanya's amazement, came toward the child. She knelt beside her and let Imani play with her fur. "This is Ashanti. She's my friend. Right, Ashanti?" Imani asked. The lioness rubbed her nose against Imani's face in response.

"That's incredible, Mani," Tanya told her honestly. Aisha had a gift for working with animals, too, but she'd never mentioned being able to fully communicate with them like her daughter apparently could.

Suddenly, Alpha appeared before her. "Aye-yi-yi!" He shouted as he spotted her. "Tanya! You must come home. Something's happened."

"What's wrong, Alpha?" Tanya asked.

"The children's power coins were stolen! Aye-yi-yi, it's horrible! Maddie needs you, Tanya. She was attacked, and she's with Jason, but I believe she needs her mother."

"Attacked? Is she alright?"

"She is safe. I do not, however, believe she is alright."

Tanya looked at Imani. She noticed Tia had come out to check on them. "I have to go home," she said. "My daughter needs me... But I promise I'll come back for you soon, and we will find your mother."

"Go to your daughter," Tia said. "We will be fine here until the time is right."

Tanya nodded. She hugged the girls before taking Alpha's hand. He teleported them both back to the Command Center, and from there, she rushed to Jason's house to be there for her daughter.

KAT

She was in hiding now. Kat realized she had no choice. With Rocky alive again, everyone would know her secret. She had run to the only place she might be safe... Merkhet's lair.

"You may stay as long as you do Rita's bidding," Merkhet said with a dismissive wave of her hand that implied she couldn't care less if Kat stuck around or not.

Kat began wandering around, exploring her new home. It was filled with evil artifacts, potions, and magical tools. She could get used to this. The darkness and power surrounding her called to her very core.

She looked at the scrying mirror Merkhet had put down. She touched it, and it came to life. She knew what these devices could do. "Show me Tommy," she said.

Suddenly, Tommy appeared in the mirror. He stood with several people she didn't recognize. "Welcome, Megaforce Rangers. Thank you all for coming on such short notice," he said.

"Anything for you, Tommy Oliver, Sir..." One of them said eagerly. He looked like he might wet himself.

"Dude, could you possibly nerd out more, Noah?" Another teased him.

"He's Tommy Freaking Oliver, Jake!" Noah objected.

Tommy smiled at them indulgently. "Ugh," Kat mumbled. "It's Tommy's fan club..."

"We're happy to help," a girl said sweetly. She radiated Pink Ranger.

"Thank you, Emma," Tommy said.

"Going to screw her next, Tommy?" Kat asked bitterly.

"So, what do you need us to do?" The last girl asked. She must be the Yellow Ranger.

"Well, Gia, as Troy told you, our current Power Rangers have had their power coins stolen. Only the Red, Green, and White power coins remain safe. With that being the case, we need a team of Rangers to protect Angel Grove until we get them back. Zeke, our Red Ranger, will be around to help you in any way you need. Unfortunately, our Green Ranger is in the hospital in a coma... And our White Ranger is my daughter, Katie. She's got a mission of her own."

"What's my little brat up to?" Kat wondered. She decided she might need to know that information, so she shifted her focus away from Tommy and his pathetic flock of groupies. "Show me Katie!"

The mirror obliged. Katie appeared in the frame. She was with an unusual Zord, and Kat realized she might be in trouble. It was the wild Zord Katie had tamed to get Billy back.

"Come on, Buddy. I need your help," Katie said. "We need to hunt down my bitch of a mother."

Kat jumped back from the mirror and the image faded. Katie was coming for her, and she had the one thing that might actually be able to get to her. Kat knew if she didn't think of something soon, she'd be screwed.

KENNY

He struggled not to think about what had happened to him the day before. He had been feeling stupid and sort of useless without his powers, but when he'd seen a girl in trouble, he hadn't hesitated to help her. Kenny was glad to know he could still fight the good fight, even if he didn't have his power coin.

Now that it was late, and he was alone, he was troubled by everything again. He didn't really know what to do. He tried to focus on anything else and found himself thinking about Angie. Rito had to have attacked her for a reason, even if she didn't know what it was. He had been missing for way too long. It couldn't have been random.

The more Kenny thought about Angie, the more he wanted to help her. She'd looked so devastated when she realized her IPod was broken. He knew how hard it was for someone to live in a group home. He'd seen it with Josh. Angie had been in the system for her entire life. She literally had no one she could rely on, but that IPod had given her comfort. Kenny really wanted to do something to make her feel better.

When morning came, he still hadn't slept. He didn't want to sleep, because whenever he tried, flashes of the night before hit him. He didn't want to remember. He just wanted to pretend it had never happened. He took a shower and got dressed, running out before anyone else noticed he was up. He rushed to the store and set his plan in motion.

Kenny had been saving up money for a long time. He wasn't sure what he was saving for... A rainy day, he supposed. Today, however, he had found a purpose for his money. He purchased the item and walked to the group home.

Angie sat on the steps looking lost as she stared into space. "Hey, Angie," he called.

"Kenny?" She asked with surprise.

"Yeah... I have something for you." He handed her the bag.

Angie looked at it questioningly before pulling out the box inside. Her eyes went wide as she saw the brand new and fully upgraded IPod. "You... You bought this for... me?" She asked.

"Yeah. I don't think anyone should have to lose the one thing that gives them comfort, so I replaced it for you."

She stared at him. She looked like she might cry, but she held herself together. "I can't accept this," she said. "It's way too expensive."

"Money doesn't mean much to me... But the look of joy on your face? That does." He smiled at her. "Keep it. Please. Josh is great with technology. I'm sure he can recover your old files and get them on here for you."

She hesitated for a moment before hugging him. "No one has ever done something like this for me before," she whispered.

"Well, someone should."

She rested her head on his shoulder for a moment. He got the impression Angie wasn't used to being held. He hugged her a little tighter, and she didn't seem to mind. "You're incredible, Kenny," she said after a moment. "You're literally the most selfless person I've ever met."

"You must not know many good people, then," he said.

"No... No, I don't." She pulled away slowly and smiled at him. "Thank you... This means more than you can possibly understand."

Kenny knew he'd done the right thing. "Do you want to get some breakfast? My treat."

She hesitated before nodding. "Sure. That sounds like fun."

Kenny led her away and for a little while, he forgot about how much he had been hurting. He liked Angie. He was glad he'd met her, even if the circumstances had been kind of crazy. He had a feeling he'd be seeing a lot more of her now, and he decided that he didn't mind.

KATIE  
Her favorite Zord friend was nothing if not reliable. It found her mother quickly, and it happily opened the wormhole into her realm. "Katie!" Her mother gasped.

"Bitch," Katie greeted her in response. She attacked her mother before she could do much.

"Katie, sweetheart, I'm your mother! Please, give me a chance to explain!"

"Explain how you betrayed us? How you turned on Dad, and everything he stands for? Or explain how you murdered Thorn's boyfriend? How you left him to die in Thorn's arms? Or what about how you slit Rocky's throat? What about that? Is that what you wanted to explain to me, Mom?" Katie was so full of rage, nothing else mattered. Her mother had gone way too far, and she had to stop her from hurting anyone else.

"I had to! Rocky found the syringe."

"The syringe you used to kill an innocent teenager!"

"Yes. That syringe. Back off, Katherine, or-"

"Don't call me that! I want nothing to do with you, including your name!"

"Leave this place. I don't want to have to hurt you!"

Katie laughed. "You? Hurt me? In your dreams!" She attacked her mother swiftly, knocking her down. Her mother tried to raise energy for some sort of magical retaliation, but Katie shoved her into the Zord before she could pull it off. She got in beside her and hit her mother, knocking her unconscious, before telling the Zord, "Okay, Buddy. Take us home."

Katie wasn't sure what would happen next, but she'd captured the bitch. It was a start. Her father and the others could discuss what should be done to handle her, but in the end, Katie knew that would be her job. It was a hard thing to cope with, but she was trying not to dwell on it. Still, she was prepared to do whatever had to be done, even if it meant she had to kill her own mother.

She's not my mother, Katie told herself. She's just an evil bitch, and she's not my mother anymore. She took a deep breath and got control of her emotions as the Zord took them back to Angel Grove.


	11. Chapter Eleven

JAYDEN

He had called the team together to train. "I know most of you don't have your powers," he said, "but that's why training is more important than ever."

"Bring it," Maddie said. She still seemed a little shaken up, but Jayden knew she needed this. They all did. They had to feel like something in their lives was still normal.

"Wait... Where's Kenny?"

"He had gymnastics training. He'll be here in a few minutes," Josh said.

Jayden wasn't happy about that. "Everyone else follows the rules," he said. "Kenny needs to get his priorities straight."

"Back off him, Jayden," Zeke said. "Gymnastics isn't just some hobby for him, and right now, it's something he can still do. The guy took on Rito alone, without powers, and survived. I don't think missing twenty minutes of training will kill him."

"Kenny did what?!" Katie demanded as she walked in.

"Katie! You're back?" Jayden asked. He was insanely relieved to see her. He'd been worried when she ran off to hunt down her mother. He pulled her into his arms for a minute, not caring if it made him look soft.

"Yeah. I'm on my way to deliver the bitch to my father until we figure out what to do with her... But I figured I'd check on the team first."

Katie looked exhausted. "Are you okay?" Jayden asked.

"Better than her." She smiled, but he could see the pain behind it. Katie might have issues with her mother, but she was conflicted about this. "So, did I hear that right? Kenny took on Rito? As in Rita's dumbass brother? When did he even come back?"

"Yesterday. He attacked a friend of mine, Angeline," Josh said. "Kenny saw she was in trouble and saved her. "

"Without powers? He took on fucking Rito without powers? Is he insane?" She shook her head. "Is he alright?"

"He's fine. So is the girl," Jayden said. "He got very lucky."

"It wasn't luck," Katie said. "Kenny's instincts are strong." Jayden could tell she was impressed. He was still pretty sure Kenny had won that fight purely because he caught Rito by surprise.

Kenny rushed in. "Sorry," he said. "I've got a competition tomorrow night and Coach was riding me pretty hard."

"You're expected to be on time, Kenny. You need to take this seriously," Jayden scolded him.

"I said I was sorry. It couldn't be helped."

"And if your communicator had gone off? Would you have been on time for that?"

"I don't have my powers anymore, so I guess you'll never find out," Kenny said harshly.

"That's an even bigger reason for you to be here on time."

"Jayden, stop it," Katie said. She touched Kenny's arm gently. "Did you eat today?" She asked.

"I..." Kenny began. He sighed. "There wasn't time... It's a big competition, Katie."

Katie looked at Jayden. "Kenny's excused on my order."

"Katie-" Jayden began.

"My team, my call. If Kenny trains right now, he'll collapse. Let it go." Katie kissed Jayden before adding, "And stop being such a jerk to him. Kenny works harder than any of us. Just because you don't understand the gymnastics thing doesn't mean it's not important. Go to one of his competitions and watch him sometime and you'll get it." She looped her arm through Kenny's. "Come on. We're getting food. The bitch can't get out of the Zord, so I'm just leaving her inside. It can take her wherever it feels like for a bit. I'm hungry."

That was that. Jayden knew there was no arguing with Katie once she made up her mind about something.

"Are we still training?" Zeke asked.

"Yes," Jayden said. He began running various training drills with the team. At one point, he grabbed Maddie and pulled her against him. Maddie panicked and Jayden immediately felt horrible. He put some distance between them and looked into her eyes. "Maddie, it's okay, " he said gently.

"I... I'm fine," Maddie said.

"Take a breath, okay? You're safe here."

"I know. I'm fine," she insisted.

Zeke came closer to them. "Here," he said. "Have some water."

Maddie nodded and drank some before turning to Jayden. "We can go again," she said.

"Jayden... Can I borrow her?" Zeke asked. "I'm trying to perfect a kick."

Jayden saw through the excuse. He was also impressed. Maddie relaxed as Zeke asked her to help him with the move. He'd known exactly what she needed.

Thorn was throwing kicks and hits harder than he ever had before. It was incredibly impressive, especially when he knocked Jayden on his butt. Jayden stood back up. "Good job," he said. Thorn hit him again, this time in the chest. Jayden struggled to catch his breath. "I didn't see that coming," he admitted.

"Sorry," Thorn said coldly. "I could kickbox for a bit so you can recover."

Jayden was concerned by how numb Thorn sounded. He might have morphed into the bravest warrior Jayden had ever seen, but he wasn't okay. "Thorn... Maybe you should take five."

"I'm good. What's next?"

"Thorn-"

Thorn walked away and began attacking the kickboxing station with everything he had. It seemed the normally Zen Thorn had been replaced by a giant ball of rage. He was hitting the bag too hard, and Jayden knew he had to be hurting himself, but Thorn didn't seem to notice. If anything, he just fought harder.

"Thorn!" Zeke said in horror. "Slow down."

"I don't need to slow down!" Thorn replied. "I need to fight! I need to be strong enough-"

Zeke jumped in front of him without the slightest hesitation. Thorn barely missed hitting him in the face. He glared at him. Zeke stared him down.

"Take five, Thorn," Zeke said firmly.

"Move, Zeke," Thorn replied.

"No. Take five. Right now. Just breathe."

Thorn looked like he realized he'd gone over the edge. "Okay," he said. He walked away.

"That was good," Jayden told Zeke honestly.

"What?" Zeke asked.

"There might be a Red Ranger in you after all, Zeke. You're being a really good leader today. Keep it up."

Zeke actually looked honored for a moment before he put on his tough guy act again. "Well, I am the Red Ranger, so yeah. I guess I'm not as bad at it as you thought."

"I've been impressed since you kept your power coin," Jayden admitted. "I misjudged you, Zeke." He extended his hand as a sign of respect. Zeke looked surprised, but he shook it.

"Thank you," Zeke said. Jayden nodded, knowing they were good now.

KATIE

After they'd gotten some food into them, Katie asked, "Did you really take on Rito without your powers?"

"I saw a girl in danger... I just sort of reacted," Kenny said.

"That's what makes you Kenny. You can't help yourself when it comes to protecting the defenseless."

"Are you mad?"

"No. I'm proud of you... But next time, call back up, okay?" She paused. "Kenny... Are you doing okay?"

"Sure," Kenny said.

"Look... I know what happened..."

"I'm feeling a bit useless without my powers, but I'm fine, Katie. It's no big deal."

"Maybe it wouldn't be if you routinely slept around, but... Kenny, I know you were waiting."

"The wait's over. The world's still spinning. It's fine. I'm fine."

Katie sighed. She knew Kenny was a hell of a lot more freaked out than he was letting on, but she also knew he was afraid to admit it even to himself. She didn't want to push him and make it harder on him. She understood he'd had no choice in losing his virginity. Whether he admitted it or not, he'd been raped, and she was worried about him. What if taking on Rito had been some sort of suicide attempt? She knew it could have ended very differently.

"Okay... But if you want to talk about it, I'm here," she said.

"I know you are," he said, "but there's nothing to talk about." He squeezed her hand for emphasis and Katie tried not to worry too much. Hopefully when Kenny was ready to talk, he would.

"Let's go home. The bitch should be getting delivered shortly," Katie said.

"Are you okay, Katie? I mean... This is a lot for you," Kenny said.

"I'm okay," she said. She was at least as okay as he was. Something they shared in common was that whenever something really hurt, they buried it deep and kept going until they accomplished whatever needed to be done.

She took his hand and thought back to when they'd been little. It had always been Katie and Kenny against the world. He helped her with her crazy schemes and she defended him against a world that could be cruel to someone with such a pure heart. Olivers protected Harts. It was in her blood. She only wished she could protect him from all of this.

TOMMY

He was sitting with Jason, Zack, Kimberly, Trini, and Billy. The original team was back together like old times, except everything had changed. He wished his sister, who'd come along shortly after him, was there, but she was still trying to help Sage. Kimberly looked exhausted. Billy had had a rough night, and she'd stayed by his side for the duration. She rested her head on Billy's shoulder now. Tommy watched the way Billy wrapped an arm protectively around her and wondered if there was more going on there than he thought.

Kim and Billy? No way. You're crazy, he told himself. Besides, Billy was still recovering. Romance was probably the last thing on his mind.

A loud sound echoed through the house as the Turbo Falconzord landed outside. They all walked outside together. "Now that is a Zord!" Zack said with a whistle.

"This is my daughter's newest friend," Tommy said with a laugh. He wondered why Katie didn't come out, but then he saw her arrive with Kenny on foot.

"The bitch is inside," Katie said without preamble. "Kenny and I are tired. We're going inside. Don't worry... She can't get out." She hugged Tommy before heading into the house.

"Do you think she's alright?" Kimberly asked.

"I think she'll get there eventually," Tommy replied.

"Tommy... I'm going to have to return home soon. My family needs me," Trini said. She looked very sad at her own words.

"I understand. We appreciate everything you've done, Trini," he said.

"I'm going to miss you when you go," Kimberly said.

"It's been nice being back, but I think I've done all I can do here," Trini said.

An explosion rang out from across the street. Billy tensed up. Kimberly quickly touched his arm. "It's okay," she said soothingly. Tommy could see that it was not, in fact, okay as three monsters came toward them.

"Give us the kitty cat," one sang cheerfully.

"Kim, get Billy inside," Tommy said. "Keep Kenny and him safe."

She didn't hesitate to listen. Tommy looked at his old friends. "Anyone up for a fight?" He asked.

"I wish I could say 'it's morphin time' right about now," Jason said.

"That would be nice," Zack said, "but we still have plenty of fight left in us." He got into position, ready to do whatever he had to.

"It's morphin time!" Someone else said. Katie had appeared. Tommy watched in awe as she morphed. She immediately ran into battle.

Trini, Zack, and Jason still knew how to kick a monster's butt. Tommy had never fully stopped being a Power Ranger, so he slipped back into fight mode easily. They were doing well when back-up arrived.

The Rangers before them were not the Mighty Morphin ones, of course, but they looked the part. Emma, Gia, Noah, and Jake eagerly ran into the battle. Troy was most likely at Sage's side, but there was another Ranger.

"Orion!" Emma said with excitement. "You made it!" She hugged him, which may have been a slightly inappropriate reaction in the middle of a battle, but Tommy found it endearing. Emma was just a very warm person.

"Did you think I'd miss this?" The Silver Ranger asked. He was currently in Green Ranger mode.

Together, the original generation fought with the Super Megaforce generation, following Katie's lead. Tommy couldn't have been more proud. After several minutes, two monsters were destroyed and the last one fled.

"Whew! Still got it, right guys?" Zack asked.

"That was kind of fun," Trini admitted.

"That was awesome," Jason added.

"We just fought side-by-side with half of the original team!" Noah cried. "My life is complete! I can die a happy man!"

"Don't tempt the monsters," Gia said.

"It was amazing," Emma said. "I just wish Troy had been here."

"He'll come around next time," Jake said.

"Why isn't he here?" Orion asked.

"He's with his birth mother at the hospital," Emma explained.

"Birth mother? I missed a lot while on that trip to Canada, didn't I?"

"Orion's been exploring our world," Emma said.

"Our world?" Trini asked.

"He's not from this planet," Jake explained.

"But he's stranded here now," Gia added.

"So he's an alien?" Zack asked. "Man, being a Power Ranger got weird over the years!"

Tommy laughed. "My friend, you have no idea!" He said. Tommy had definitely seen some weird things over the last several years.

ONE DAY LATER.

KENNY

He was pretty nervous. This competition was important. If he did well enough, he could qualify for a competition that would give him a shot at getting on Team USA and ultimately heading to the Olympics one day. The pressure was insane. He tried not to think about it.

It calmed his nerves to see several familiar faces in the crowd. His mom and Tommy were there. Josh and Thorn had come, too. Katie, Maddie, and Zeke were cheering for him even louder than his mother was, which was impressive.

He saw someone he hadn't expected to see, too. Angie smiled at him shyly from the crowd as he began his rings routine. She cheered wildly as he finished. He walked over to her afterward.

"You came," he said.

"I wanted to see you in action," Angie said. "That was awesome!"

"Thanks. I just have my floor routine to get through and I'll be done." His coach motioned for him to come over as the judges announced his scores. They were all nearly perfect and Kenny knew he'd killed it. So far, he'd scored really high on every apparatus. He was almost definitely getting the gold tonight in most of the events. He'd blown everyone else away on the pommel horse. His vault had actually received a perfect score, something that almost never happened, especially with his high start value due to the level of difficulty. He'd done pretty well on the parallel bars, although one of the older boys had done slightly better. His high bar had gone even better than he'd hoped it would. He couldn't believe how well everything was going. Even if the rest of his life was falling apart, he could still do this.

He waited for them to call him for his final routine. It took a while, but when it began, Kenny let the routine take over. He focused on nothing else until it was completed. The crowd cheered as he hit every element he'd worked to perfect.

When it was over, Kenny closed his eyes and caught his breath. As they announced his scores, he knew he was getting the gold. As the final scores were announced and the medals were awarded, Kenny took home five gold medals and one silver for individual events. He also earned the gold for the overall performance of the night. He knew his coach would forgive the one silver medal purely because he'd still gotten the gold overall.

After everyone congratulated him, someone he hadn't noticed came over. "You're here..." Kenny said.

"I took Katie's advice and came to see you," Jayden said. "I stayed in the back." He paused. "I get it now, Kenny. Your face said it all. This is your gift, and your passion... You're really good, Kenny... I've been too hard on you. I'm sorry. You're meant to do this, and you are obviously capable of doing both."

Kenny nodded. "Thank you," he said. He was mildly shocked. Maybe Jayden wasn't such a bad guy after all. "I appreciate that you made the effort to understand where I'm coming from."

Jayden looked toward Katie with obvious affection. "She's very smart," he said. "I should listen to her more often." He paused. "Am I forgiven?"

"Yeah," Kenny said. "We're good."

"About time," Katie said as she came over. "You did amazing, Kenny! I'm so proud of you." She hugged him tightly. "I'm leaving town for a few days..."

"What?" Jayden asked.

"Again? Are you okay?" Kenny asked.

"Yeah... I just need a few days to get my head on straight so I can do what I have to do," Katie said.

Kenny knew she was talking about her mom. "Where are you heading?"

"Andros gave me an open invitation to visit KO35. I'm taking him up on it."

"Does Tommy know you're leaving the planet?"

"He knows. He also understands why I need to. I'll be back in a week or so."

Kenny hugged her again. "Take care of yourself."

"I always do."

Kenny figured he should let Katie and Jayden talk. He looked at Angie and said, "I'll be back."

Angie looked nervous as she bit her bottom lip. "You okay?" Kenny asked.

She jumped. "What? Oh, yeah... I'm fine," she replied.

"Angie, is something wrong?"

"No... Not really. I was sort of supposed to be doing something else tonight, and my, um... My mentor is probably pretty pissed off at me right now." She smiled at him. "I don't care. I'm glad I came tonight."

"I'm glad you came, too," Kenny said. "Come get a victory dinner with me and my mom."

She hesitated. "I shouldn't intrude."

"It's no intrusion. You're being invited." He smiled at her warmly.

"Okay..." She said awkwardly. "Sure, I guess."

Kenny was happy she'd agreed. He knew his mother wouldn't mind, and it meant Angie wasn't stuck in the group home for a little bit longer. Besides, he liked hanging out with her. There was something different about Angie, and he didn't just mean the light purple color of her hair. He wanted to get to know her better.

ANGELINE

Had she really just agreed to have dinner with the current and former Pink Rangers? What was wrong with her? Kimberly was the mortal enemy of her parents. This was insanity.

"Do you like burgers, Angie?" Kimberly asked as they sat down. "I'm a salad girl myself, but this place makes amazing burgers."

"Burgers are great," Angie said. "I'm not picky." She looked at the prices and sighed. "In fact, maybe I'll just get a side salad."

"Sweetie, order anything you like," Kimberly said kindly. "It's my treat."

Angie was starving. A group of idiots had shoved her and she'd dropped her breakfast that morning, and since she hadn't gone back to the group home for lunch, she hadn't eaten anything all day. "Are you sure?" Angie asked.

"Of course!"

Angie ordered an appealing-looking bacon cheeseburger and fries, along with a soda. Kimberly insisted on ordering them an appetizer, so she shared nachos with Kenny. She hadn't eaten this much in ages, and it felt good to be full for once.

"Dessert?" Kimberly asked her.

"Only if it's chocolate," Kenny said with a grin. "Don't tell Coach?"

"It'll be our little secret," Kimberly promised. "Anything for you, Angie?"

"Oh, no, I'm stuffed," Angie replied.

"There's always room for chocolate," Kenny said. He smiled at her and for a moment, Angie forgot who she was, and who they were to her. She wasn't a monster or a freak. She wasn't an evil sorceress. She was just a normal girl out for a normal night with a friend and his extremely sweet mother.

"Okay," she said. It was true that she didn't get to indulge in eating chocolate very often. Kenny grinned and casually touched her hand. His hand lingered for a moment, which caused Kimberly to smile before politely pretending not to notice. Angie couldn't deny that she liked how gentle Kenny's touch was. No one ever really touched her kindly.

As dessert arrived, Angie pretended for just a little bit that this could actually be her life.

FIVE DAYS LATER.

SAGE

She had been struggling for she wasn't even sure how long. She'd seen darkness she'd never known existed. As she raced through the Underworld, she observed so many lost souls who were in pain. She even tried to help a few of them. Now, however, it was time to help herself.

She could feel the deity who'd been chasing her on her tail. "It's now or never, Sage," she told herself. Sage knew she was out of time. She closed her eyes and focused. She knew she was close to escaping from the Underworld... She just needed to get by one last obstacle.

The three-headed dog glared at her. Sage bowed her head respectfully. The dog seemed unimpressed. Sage took a deep breath and channeled the dragon within. Just like her mother, Sage had the spirit of a dragon, and she needed it now. She allowed this to give her strength as she faced the dog. She felt fire bursting from within and it cleared a path for her. Sage ran as fast as she could until she saw light. As she reached for it, she was thrust back into her body.

Sage awoke with a gasp. Her mother and one of her friends looked like they might collapse. "Finally..." The friend said. He released his hold on Sage's energy and mumbled, "I'm going to bed..." He left the room after nodding at Sage.

"My baby!" Her mother said in relief. Sage saw the tears in her eyes and knew she'd really scared her. She allowed her mother to hug her and realized Troy was gripping her hand.

"You're okay..." He whispered.

"I'm better than okay," Sage said. She looked at her mother. "I'm a Shaman." She was tired, but the power boost she'd gotten was still obvious to her.

"Yes you are, my girl," her mother said proudly.

"So... Did I miss anything?" Sage asked.

Her mother and Troy both turned too serious too quickly. "What? What happened?" Sage asked.

"Not yet," her mother said. "You should rest."

"Please just tell me. I'm okay. I can handle it."

"My team's been called in to help," Troy said. "Nearly everyone on your team lost their power coins."

Sage stared at him. "How?"

"They were tricked... Manipulated by four very powerful siblings," her mother explained.

"Thorn?" Sage asked.

"His coin was lost as well." Her mother paused. "He has been clinging to Caleb to motivate him to keep fighting. You saved him, my dear one. Caleb is alive and well."

Sage was relieved to know her efforts had not been in vain. "And Katie?" She asked.

"Katie and Zeke kept their coins. Yours is safe, too," Troy said.

"Katie has left for a bit," her mother said. "She is coping with what must be done... Katherine has betrayed us. She has embraced evil... She's the one who killed Caleb and Rocky."

"Oh, Katie..." Sage whispered in horror. She couldn't imagine how her cousin must be feeling. "I have to help them."

"Soon, my dear one," her mother promised. "You were in a coma for a week. You must take a day or two to recover."

Sage wanted to protest, but she knew her mother was right. She nodded, then looked at Troy. "Have you slept at all?" She asked.

"I blacked out a few times holding your hand," he said, not looking at her.

"It's your turn to rest, Troy. I'm okay now." She kissed his hand. "When I get out of here, maybe you can introduce me to your team."

He smiled. "Sure. I'd like that," he said.

After another minute Troy left, and Thorn came running in with her father. "Don't ever do that to me again!" Thorn shouted. "I thought I was going to lose you!" He started to cry as he hugged her. "And thank you... Thank you so much for bringing him back to me..."

"I regret nothing," Sage said.

"Thank God you're alright," her father whispered.

Sage allowed her family to hug her as she began trying to figure out how to help her team get their power coins back. She'd take a day or two to rest, but after that, she knew she needed to be ready to fight.


	12. Chapter Twelve

CALEB

Everything was engulfed in flames. Thick clouds of angry black smoke filled the halls. A girl was trying to call for help, but the smoke filled her lungs and she couldn't scream. She looked at him, her eyes pleading. Caleb knew she was going to die. He tried to reach toward her, but she vanished. So did the smoke.

Caleb blinked as his surroundings shifted. Thorn was looking at him with concern. "Caleb? Are you okay?" Thorn asked.

"I... I have to go," Caleb said.

"What's wrong?"

"This is going to sound crazy... But I think someone's in trouble."

"Who?"

"I don't know her... But there's a fire. She's trapped."

Thorn looked like he wasn't sure what to think, but he said, "Take me. Let's see if there's something going on."

Caleb nodded. They raced across town, finally arriving at the house he'd seen. He knew because it was completely engulfed in flames, just like it had been in his mind.

"Crap..." Thorn whispered. "You think someone's inside?"

"I saw her, Thorn... She's trapped. She's barely a teenager."

Thorn took a deep breath. "Stay here. Call 911," he said.

"But you don't have your powers, right?" Caleb asked. Thorn had told him the truth... All of it. Caleb had assured him he understood he'd been manipulated and that it wasn't cheating, especially since Thorn had thought he was dead. "You could get hurt!"

"I'm a Power Ranger, with or without powers. Saving people is what we do." He kissed Caleb before running inside.

Caleb called 911 and tried not to panic. Thankfully, a few minutes later, Thorn emerged with the girl clinging to him. They were both coughing violently, but they were safe.

Caleb rode with Thorn to the hospital. They treated him for smoke inhalation and called his father. Adam arrived quickly.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Just some smoke inhalation," Thorn replied.

"What were you thinking?"

"There was a girl in there. She needed help..."

"Thorn, you don't have your powers! You could have been killed!"

Thorn stared at his father before saying, "Once a Ranger, always a Ranger, right?"

Adam sighed. He pulled something out of his pocket. "Take it," he said. "I talked to Zordon. It should work for you."

"Dad... Is this your power coin?" Thorn asked in obvious shock.

"Until we get yours back, no. It's your power coin. Use it well, Thorn."

"Does that mean...?" Caleb asked.

"If it works, I'll have my powers back," Thorn said.

As soon as Thorn was discharged and in a fairly secluded area, he tried to morph. Caleb watched in fascination as his boyfriend morphed into a super hero before his eyes.

"How does it feel?" Adam asked.

"A little different... But good," Thorn said.

"Good. Trini went home, but she's going to have Alpha teleport her coin here for Maddie. It was never destroyed because the rest of us lost our coins after Jason, Zack, and Trini left, and when they transferred their powers to us, new coins were created... By the time Kat joined, unfortunately, Zordon wasn't duplicating power coins anymore... Anyway, only two of you will be without your powers now."

"If your powers were destroyed, how did your coin work for Thorn?" Caleb asked.

"My powers were restored so I could help Operation Overdrive when they lost theirs. Kira from the Dino Thunder team, Tori from the Ninja Storm Wind Rangers, Xander from the Mystic Force Rangers, and Bridge from SPD had their powers restored, too. I actually led the team."

Caleb tried to take all of that in. "Exactly how many teams of Power Rangers are there?"

"A lot," Adam said with a laugh.

Thorn powered down, as he called it. "Okay, let's get home," Adam said. "Why don't you come over for dinner, Caleb?"

"Good idea," Thorn said. "We need to talk."

Caleb nodded. "Sure," he said.

Adam drove them to the house. When he left them alone to cook, Thorn asked, "How did you know all of that was going to happen?"

"I saw it," Caleb said. "Ever since I... came back... I've been seeing things in my head, and a little while later, they happen."

"You're having visions?"

"I think so... It's kind of been freaking me out, but this... I knew she'd die if someone didn't find her."

"Being in the Underworld must have opened up this ability..."

"You don't think I'm crazy?"

"No... But we have to keep this between us, Caleb. The bad guys wanted you dead before... I don't want them to have a reason to go after you again."

Caleb certainly didn't want that either. He curled up in Thorn's arms and tried to stay calm. He was safe. Sage had saved his life, and he knew Thorn would protect him. He just prayed that would be enough.

JOSH

He was sitting with his father working on the computers at the Command Center and it almost felt like the last three years had never happened. It was so easy to get lost in the technology. They communicated in a way no one else could understand, and they worked together like a well-oiled machine.

"How perplexing..." His father mumbled. "This terminal appears to be sending the wrong signals to the rest of the unit, but I can see absolutely no cause for this to occur..."

Josh studied the computer for a minute before nodding. "It seems to be reporting the exact opposite of the data it collects... Do you think it has a virus?" He asked.

"Affirmative... However, it's unlike any I've seen before."

Josh smiled to himself. Nothing seemed more normal than his father saying affirmative. It brought light to a dark void he hadn't realized still existed inside of him. His father was back, but he'd hardly been himself. Now, however, he was in his element.

Together, they inspected the computer. It only took them about thirty minutes to find and correct the problem. "Someone sent a signal into the computer to corrupt the data," his father explained to Zordon. "Josh and I have removed the signal and increased the security on the system... However, I am mildly concerned someone did this in the first place."

"Who do you think it was?" Zordon asked.

"I'm not certain... Although if I had to guess..." He hesitated.

"What is it, Billy?"

"It reminds me of the technology Merkhet had me working with... And the code was written in such a manner that... I suspect..." His father looked at Zordon. "I fear I may have been to blame. I can't recall everything they had me do... But once Josh cleared up a couple of points for me, I recognized the code. It's written in the same way I would have written it. I'm sorry, Zordon. I must have done this."

"It's not your fault, Dad," Josh said quickly.

"Indeed, it is not," Zordon said. "The important thing is it appears to be fixed now."

His father looked understandably upset. "I've been alone with these computers frequently recently. Josh, will you check the others? Make sure nothing appears to be corrupted. I won't forgive myself if something is wrong and I miss it," he said.

"Of course, Dad," Josh said. He set to work checking the computers. It helped Josh a bit to know that even if he had lost his powers for the time being, he could help in other ways. His knowledge of science and technology were still an asset.

Over two hours later, Josh had thoroughly checked every single computer in the Command Center. He looked at his father and said, "Everything's clean, Dad. There were no other issues."

His father looked visibly relieved. "Thank you for doing that," he said.

"Of course."

"I think we should go back to Tommy's house."

"Alright. Let's go." Josh took his father's hand. Alpha teleported them back to their current home. They went inside and Kimberly greeted them.

"Is everything okay?" She asked.

"Yes," his father said. "It almost wasn't, though, thanks to me." He proceeded to explain what had happened. Kimberly listened patiently.

"It's okay, Billy. You fixed it. That's what matters," Kimberly said.

"It's not okay!" His father snapped. "I betrayed you all! That program could have done a lot of damage! I'm a threat to everyone! I shouldn't be here! I need to leave-"

"Billy, listen to me. You found the issue. You fixed it before any real harm was done. You had no control over what you did before, but you're making the right choices now." His father looked very shaken up. "Come on," Kimberly said gently. "Let's go upstairs so you can relax."

His father didn't argue. Josh was left watching them walk away, too shaken up to do much. It always startled him when his father yelled. He'd never been one to raise his voice before, especially not in front of Josh. It reminded him that his father was back, but he still wasn't fully himself. The illusion the day had presented was gone now, and he was left with the harsh reality that his father might never be "normal" again.

KAT

She was getting really sick of sitting inside of the stupid Zord. She hadn't eaten in days, but somehow, she hadn't starved to death. She wondered if that was Katie's plan. Desperate to come up with a way to escape, Kat spent her endless time plotting.

If I'm quick enough, I can attack them, she thought. Of course, Katie would see that coming. She'd be expecting her to try to attack or flee the second the Zord opened up.

I have to change things up... If I shift into cat form, I'll be smaller, faster, and much harder to catch. I might be able to escape, she thought.

"Ugh! Why hasn't anyone come to rescue me yet?" She wondered aloud. She hadn't expected Merkhet to send in the cavalry, but she'd assumed Rita, at least, would try to save her. She'd sworn to protect her as long as Kat declared her loyalty, so where was she now?

It's a true mark of my dark side that I can question my Empress, Kat thought. As a teenager, she'd been blindly loyal, forced to do Rita's evil bidding whether she wanted to or not. Now that she'd chosen this life for herself, she was free to think whatever she liked, as long as she not express disloyalty openly in front of her Empress.

She knew she was running out of time. She settled on her plan, changing form into a cat and waiting for the one opportunity she'd get to escape with her life.

KATIE

Her head was clear. She felt good. She knew it was time to go home, fully at peace with what needed to be done. Katie said goodbye to Andros and headed back to Earth.

As soon as she arrived at the house, her father greeted her. "You're home!" He said, pulling her into a hug.

"I am. So, you're ready if I am, right?" Katie asked.

Her father sighed. "I guess we've stalled long enough."

Katie nodded. She walked over to the Turbo Falconzord and said, "Alright. Open up." She had her sword ready.

The cat that flew out of the Zord was only a mild surprise. "Coward," Katie mumbled. She chased after her mother, but her father got to her first.

"Not so fast, Kat!" He said.

Her mother transformed back into a human. She looked at her father with sad eyes and said, "You can't blame a girl for trying."

"You turned your back on the powers of good. You willingly handed yourself over to evil... You murdered an innocent boy and someone you claimed was one of your best friends," Katie said steadily. "The punishment for your crimes is to put an end to you."

Her mother looked at her father with pleading eyes. "Tommy... Tommy, if you ever loved me, you'll stop her!" She said.

"Katherine... I did love you. I loved you so much... But I don't even know who you are anymore," her father said sadly.

"Oh, Tommy... I love you, too," her mother said. "I always will." Her mother then laughed and immediately lunged at her father, pulling out a weapon she'd somehow managed to manifest.

"Dad!" Katie screamed as her father hesitated for just a split second. Katie knew he couldn't bring himself to do this, so she took a deep breath and ran at her mother.

Her father was stabbed, but Katie hoped it wasn't a bad wound because he was able to move out of the way of a second attack. Katie raised Saba into the air and brought him down across her mother's chest, slashing her open. What came out of her was not only blood, but a strange goo Katie suspected had formed when her mother became pure evil. She knew now that she'd made the right choice... The only choice.

As the woman who had once been her mother lay dying, she stared at her. "Impressive..." She mumbled. "You... are... your father's... daughter..."

With that, she was gone. Katie took only a moment to process that before she ran to her father's side. "Dad! Are you okay?" She asked. She knelt beside him, putting pressure on the wound in his chest.

"I... I'm okay..." He said. He didn't look it.

"Kim!" Katie screamed. "Kimberly, help!"

Kimberly came running outside moments later. "Oh my God... What happened?" She asked. She immediately began looking at her father's wound. "Katie, go get my sewing kit. It's in the desk drawer in my bedroom."

Katie hesitated. "He's bleeding..." She said, as the shock finally began hitting her. If it had been anyone else, Katie probably wouldn't have been so affected, but this was her father. She'd just killed her mother, and now her father was bleeding.

"Honey... I can stitch him up. It's not as bad as it looks. I just need the supplies," Kimberly said gently.

Katie nodded numbly before running upstairs and getting the kit. She made it back outside impossibly fast. She watched as Kimberly remained freakishly calm and began sewing her father's flesh back together.

"Stay with me, Tommy," Kimberly said urgently as she worked on him.

"Kim..." He managed to get out.

"It's okay. Just hold on. You're going to be okay, Tommy," she promised him.

Role reversal, Katie thought. Dad was always Kim's hero, not the other way around.

Kimberly looked at Katie. "Call an ambulance. These are only temporary," she said, "but they'll hold for now. He's going to be okay, Katie."

Katie nodded and dialed, still numb as she told the person who answered the call what had happened. "There's been a murder... And an attempted murder," Katie said. "My father needs to go to the hospital..."

"Your father?" The person asked.

"Yes. He's been stabbed... A family friend was able to stitch him up, but she says he needs real stitches soon."

"How old are you, Ma'am?"

"Sixteen. Why does that matter?"

"Do you have anyone who can help you right now?"

"The woman who stitched up my father has been staying with us."

"What's your name, honey?" With the admission of her age, she'd gone from Ma'am to Honey. Katie should have been annoyed, but she was too freaked out to care right now.

"Katie. Katie Oliver."

"Okay, Katie. Help is coming. I already sent them out... You said there was a murder. Can you tell me who was murdered?"

"My mother," Katie said coldly.

"Your mother?"

"Yes."

"You're sure she's gone?"

"She's dead."

"Katie, did you see who did this?"

"No. My dad rushed outside after he heard my mother scream." That was a blatant lie, but she didn't want to have to explain that she'd killed her mother after the bitch had attacked her father.

"Okay. Just hold on, sweetheart."

"Don't call me sweetheart."

"Sorry, Katie. Just stay with me, okay?"

Katie did, because she knew she had to. When the ambulance arrived, her father sat up. He looked at her and said, "I'm okay, Punk."

"I know... Thanks to Kimberly," Katie said. "I'm sorry I let her get to you, Dad... I should have realized she'd try something like that."

"It's not your fault. Now, quiet... We need time to figure out what to tell them."

Katie knew he was right. As the paramedics loaded her father into the ambulance, she climbed in with him. Her mother's body was covered with a sheet and loaded into a different vehicle. She held her father's hand the entire way to the hospital, even though she knew he was out of immediate danger.

CASEY

She'd felt her brother get injured. As soon as Casey could focus, she jumped in her car and drove to the hospital, leaving a note for Adam telling him where she'd gone. She called David on the way there.

"Tommy's hurt," she said.

"So it's not you I felt. Good," her other brother said. "What the hell happened?"

"You know what's been going on with Katherine... Tonight, Katie and Tommy confronted her. I think Kat managed to attack Tommy before Katie could stop her." She knew Kat was dead. She could feel that much.

"Which hospital? I'm on my way." David and Tommy might go back and forth, but at the end of the day, they were brothers. Their bond was powerful, just like Casey's bond to them was. They were triplets, after all. Casey gave him the information.

When she finally got to the hospital, she rushed inside. "I'm here for Tommy Oliver," she said.

A nurse pointed to an ER bed. Sure enough, Tommy sat hooked up to an IV of blood. Other than looking pale, he seemed to be alright. Katie sat beside him.

"Tommy..." Casey said. She shook her head and sat in the only other chair, taking his hand in her own. "Are you both okay?"

"We'll survive," Katie said. "The bitch is dead... And the hospital promised me Dad's fine."

Katie looked calm now, but Casey could tell this had been hard on her. "You look exhausted."

"That's true."

"Come here, Punk. Squeeze in," Tommy said, shifting to make room on his bed. Katie crawled in beside him.

"Rest, Katie. I'll watch over you both," Casey promised.

It was very obvious how exhausted she was when Katie didn't protest. Within minutes, she fell asleep curled up on her father. He passed out right behind her. True to her word, Casey stayed with them, even after David arrived, until Tommy was finally discharged.

"We'll need you to come back," a doctor told him. "Because of the trauma of what's happened, we need to do a psychiatric evaluation... After all, you're the guardian of a foster child."

Tommy nodded. "I'll come back first thing tomorrow," he promised.

"I'm very sorry for your loss, Doctor Oliver," the doctor said. "It is a tragedy."

"Thank you."

When they were ready to leave, David turned serious. "Are you a suspect?" He asked.

"No. Considering I was injured, too, they aren't questioning if I was involved. I told them it was a monster... Literally, one of the many monsters who attack Angel Grove on a regular basis. They didn't question me. I'm known to be an authority on these things... It pays to be a doctor," Tommy said.

"And if it was a monster, they won't look for it," Casey said. "The investigation should end here... But you need to prove you're grieving but still functional enough to take care of Josh... And Katie, for that matter."

"I'm not going anywhere," Katie said. "They can kiss my ass."

"It's not a problem," Tommy replied. "I am grieving... But my first priority is the kids."

"They're not going to like leaving Josh with you," David said. "With no maternal figure and with you not being his father... Maybe it's time you guys told everyone Billy's still alive."

"We can't yet. He's not ready. He needs time to get a little bit more stable, or they'll never let him have custody of Josh."

"He's right," Casey said.

"I do have a maternal figure around, anyway. They know Kimberly's living with me. That should be enough to convince them Josh is safe," Tommy said.

Casey hoped he was right. No matter what, they weren't letting Josh go back into the system. As Katie and David got into David's car, Casey took Tommy into hers. "How are you really doing?" She asked.

"My wife is dead, Casey. How do you think I'm doing?" He asked.

"You knew it would end this way. Kat left us no choice."

"I know... But for a second... For just one second... I thought she was still in there... And then she tried to kill me. She didn't even hesitate, Casey. I saw the look in her eyes. She enjoyed it. She wanted to be evil." He looked like he might cry.

"I know how hard this is for you. You loved her... And you understood the temptation of evil."

"But I never gave in to it once the team saved me from the spell... I always fought. I fought a thousand times as hard as anyone else just to prove that I'm not evil... But Kat went and gave into it. She embraced it with open arms... Did I ever know her, Casey?"

"You did... But over the years, the evil crept back in, Tommy, and it destroyed the woman you married. We just didn't want to see it."

He sighed and rested his head on her shoulder as she started to drive. Casey knew Tommy and Katie would survive this, but she also knew it was going to take some time. Katie would recover first. She'd saved her father's life by killing her mother, and that would be enough for her. She would never doubt the choice she'd had to make. Tommy, however, would probably struggle with it for a bit, wondering if he'd somehow caused Kat's downward spiral. Casey knew that wasn't the case. In truth, Katherine had been turning evil for quite some time, but even she hadn't wanted to believe it. Now, there was no denying it. The moment Kat murdered Caleb, and then Rocky, she'd gone too far. There had been no saving her because there was no turning back from something that evil. The only thing Casey could do now was try to be there for her brother to help him through this.

RITA

"No!" Rita shouted. "My poor kitty cat! I'd hoped to keep her around at least a little bit longer than this."

"Great plan," Zedd mumbled.

"Shut up! At least I had a plan!"

"So do I! My children-"

"Yes, yes, your little bastards... I know. But they don't seem to have actually done much. The Pink Ranger fought off my brother! Of course, I have no idea why the idiot went and targeted our daughter, but I'll forgive him... He's family. The Black Ranger managed to run into a house fire and rescue someone and come out basically unscathed! Oh, and he got his powers back! The White Ranger is still a pest and still has her powers and killed my pet! The Green Ranger woke back up instead of dying, how happy for her! The Red Ranger, who should have been an easy mark, held on to his power coin in spite of your perfect children! The Blue Ranger is still a threat because he uses technology to fight us! What the hell have your kids done, really? Scared the Yellow Ranger into cowering? Great, but guess what! Now that they restored the Black Ranger's powers, it's only a matter of time before they figure out they can restore hers, too! She'll be back to annoying us in no time! Ugh! You're giving me a headache!"

"I'm giving you a headache? Your endless ranting is giving me a headache!"

"Arrrrgh!" Rita cried in frustration.

"Arrrrgh!" Zedd echoed. At least they agreed on that much. Rita stormed off, determined to escape from the source of her latest migraine.

MADDIE

As she arrived at the Command Center with her mother, Maddie was confused. "What's going on?" She asked.

"Maddie... We have figured out a way to restore your powers," Zordon said.

"Seriously?" Maddie asked. Her face lit up. For the first time, she felt hopeful. "How?"

"This is Trini's power coin," Alpha said. "She has entrusted it to you until we recover your coin."

"Trini really gave this up?" Maddie asked.

"She knows you're needed," her mother said.

"And it'll work?"

"Thorn has his father's coin and it worked for him. We're hoping this will work the same way."

Maddie eagerly took the coin in her hands and began to play with it, trying to connect to its power. It wasn't her coin, but it felt very similar, and it called to her.

"Go on, Maddie. Test it," her mother said.

Maddie nodded. "It's morphin time!" She said. "Saber Tooth Tiger!" Suddenly, the power returned to her. She felt herself begin to morph. When it was complete, she couldn't stop smiling. Finally, something was going right!

"How do you feel?" Her mother asked.

"Like I'm ready to kick some bad guy butt!" Maddie said.

Her mother smiled and hugged her. "That's my girl."

For the first time since she'd been attacked, Maddie was starting to feel like herself. Maybe everything had not been lost after all.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

THORN

He was beating up the kickboxing station again. Thorn felt the anger boiling inside of him. He needed to release it. He tried to put all of that rage and all of that pain into his hits and kicks, but it wasn't enough.

He kept going, waiting for something to finally help. He hated feeling this way. Thorn had always been able to keep perspective on things. He was the calm, rational voice of reason among his friends. Nothing ever messed with his mind like this.

He flashed back suddenly to the day everything had changed. Caleb lay dead in his arms, murdered by his aunt simply because she'd chosen to turn evil. Caleb had been completely innocent, and Thorn's aunt had ripped his life away from him.

He flashed on Taylor, who'd seemed so harmless. He remembered what they'd done and it killed something inside of him. He wasn't like the others. He and Sage understood magical entities. Why hadn't he realized what Taylor was sooner? He'd let that creep use him just so he could forget his pain for a few precious minutes. Caleb might have forgiven him, but how could Thorn ever forgive himself?

If I ever see him again, he's dead, Thorn thought. The old Thorn would never have harmed someone unless left with absolutely no other choice, but that Thorn had died with Caleb. Taylor had to pay for what he'd done.

He began punching the station harder. He couldn't feel it anyway. He imagined Taylor's face, and then he imagined Kat's. His aunt had paid for her actions. Katie had seen to that... But Taylor was still out there somewhere, along with Thorn's power coin, and that idea made Thorn sick.

He couldn't breathe. He didn't stop attacking the station. Finally, someone grabbed him. He was going to swing at whoever it was, but he realized it was Josh.

"Are you okay?" Josh asked.

"I'm fine," Thorn said automatically.

Josh hesitated before gently pulling off Thorn's gloves. His knuckles were bleeding and bruised. Josh didn't say anything as he started cleaning his hands up. After he'd gotten them to stop bleeding, he walked back to the supply closet and returned with an ice pack.

"Ice them both. It will help with the swelling," Josh said.

"Thanks," Thorn said. Neither of them said another word until Jayden and the others arrived for training.

SKULL

He was starting to get frustrated. He stood in the lab with Lieutenant Stone, Spike, and the man who might be Bulk's last hope and stared at the forensic evidence they'd looked over a dozen times before. An old friend... emphasis on old... of his and Bulk's had come out to take a look at what they had. Skull had only called him in desperation. He was mildly surprised the guy hadn't died yet, but maybe he'd discovered a cure for that.

"Ahhh... I cannot help you," Professor Phenomenus Ingenious said after an eternity of studying the evidence.

"Why not?" Skull asked.

"This was not aliens!" Professor Phenomenus replied as if that should have been obvious.

"Aliens?" Lt. Stone repeated skeptically.

"Aliens?!" Spike asked with much more enthusiasm.

"Yes! Aliens! Like that shifty-looking fellow right over there on the windowsill!" He pointed to his target.

"That's a squirrel," Lt. Stone said.

Professor Phenomenus laughed. "Ha! Perhaps to the untrained eye!"

"How did you meet this guy again, Skullovitch?"

"He's brilliant," Skull insisted. "And if he says aliens didn't do this, then they didn't."

"Of course it wasn't aliens! Aliens aren't real!"

"Ha! That's what you think!" The professor said.

"But if it wasn't aliens..." Skull laughed nervously. "How are we going to free Bulky?"

"Yeah," Spike echoed with a laugh of his own. "How?"

"Don't look now, Skull," The Professor said cautiously, "but aliens appear to have cloaned you! Don't worry. I will kill the imposter!"

"No, Professor, wait! This is my son. Remember? Spike?" Skull clarified.

"Your son... Hmmm..." He nodded, considering this. "Perhaps to the untrained eye!" He grabbed a wooden broom and tried to hit Spike with it. Spike proceeded to let out a panicked screech that Skull echoed in shock as the Professor attacked his son. They continued going back and forth like this for a minute.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Everybody, calm down!" Lt. Stone said firmly, grabbing the broom out of the Professor's hands. He paused. "Okay, um... Professor... Your insight that this was not, in fact, the work of aliens was very helpful. I'm sure you're a very busy man. Feel free to head on out now."

The Professor nodded. "Yes, I have very important work to do," he said. "Good to see you, Skull. You look almost as good as me. Watch out for the alien clone!"

"Wait!" Spike said. "If it wasn't aliens, who did this?"

"That's quite simple, Little Clone... Bulk is guilty."

"What?!" Skull asked.

"Oh yes, the evidence clearly puts him at the scene. His clothes have her blood on them... I thought it might be aliens, but sadly, no. So it must have been Bulk. Rest easy! The police have captured him, as I must go capture that alien on the windowsill. Ta-ta!" Professor Phenomenus left.

"Do you really think Uncle Bulk's guilty?" Spike asked sadly.

"No way, Spikey!" Skull reassured him. "I just forgot that the Professor's only expertise lies in aliens. At least we ruled them out!" He smiled, but internally, he was terrified. If even Professor Phenomenus couldn't clear Bulk's name, who could?

His attention was drawn to the window as the Professor ran by with a net. The alien squirrel took off running, but Skull knew the Professor would catch it in the end.

Skull was about to look away when something else caught his eye. He had to remind himself to breathe as he saw her. She might be older, but Kimberly was still the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

"I'll be right back," Skull said. He hurried outside. He spotted her and rushed over to her. "Hey, Kimberly!" He said too eagerly.

Kimberly jumped. "Oh! Skull... You scared me," she said, recovering.

"Sorry."

"I didn't know you were back in town."

"Oh, yeah... I always come when Bulky needs me." He paused as his emotions hit him. Skull disliked being overly serious, but as much as he acted like a goofball most of the time, he wasn't a complete fool. Bulk was in serious trouble, and he was out of ideas. He suddenly felt like part of him was about to be destroyed. Who was he without Bulk? They'd been best friends for so long, he didn't know anymore. What would he do if Bulk sat rotting in prison for eternity, or worse, if they tried to give him the death penalty?

"Skull? Are you okay?" Kimberly asked. She looked genuinely concerned. It gave Skull strength.

"No," he admitted. "Bulk didn't do it, Kimberly!"

Kimberly looked at him in confusion. "Didn't do what?"

"He's in jail for murdering some kid in the park... Didn't you know?"

"No... I don't watch the news much, but even if I did, I'm sure it hasn't been on there... Tommy would have said something."

"Oh... Tommy. Are you guys back together?"

"What? No," Kimberly said with a laugh. Her smile still lit up his world. "No, Tommy and I are just friends, but my son and I are staying with him and his daughter."

"What's his wife think about that? I mean, if he's married."

Kimberly paused. "Actually, he married Katherine Hillard... Do you remember Kat? But she passed away very recently."

"Oh, no! I'm so sorry to hear that!" He genuinely was. He did remember Kat. She hadn't been Kimberly, but she'd seemed nice enough, and she was pretty. Bulk had always loved her accent, and Skull had to admit it was nice to listen to her talk. Skull's wife had left him and Spike when Spike was still small because she couldn't quite understand the two of them the way they understood each other, but he was okay with that. He couldn't imagine how he'd feel in Tommy's position. "Is he okay?" He asked. He genuinely wanted to know. Tommy Oliver might not have been his close friend or anything, but he'd known him for a long time, and he was surprised to realize he cared about whether or not the guy was alright.

"It hasn't been easy, but he's trying," Kimberly replied. "His daughter, Katie, keeps him going. She's just like him." She smiled, and Skull could tell she had a lot of affection for the kid.

"You said you have a son?"

"I do. His name is Kenny. He's my entire world." She smiled proudly.

"I know what you mean. Spike's everything to me."

"Spike?"

"Yeah, my son. He's the greatest kid around. You wanna meet him? He's inside."

"Um... Sure, Skull. That would be nice."

Skull smiled. "Come on," he said. He gently took her arm and led her inside the building. Spike was helping Lt. Stone clean up.

"Kimberly Hart!" Lt. Stone greeted her with open arms. "It's been a while since I last saw you. How are you?"

"I'm doing well, thanks," Kimberly said, hugging him.

Spike looked at his father and mouthed, THE Kimberly Hart? Skull nodded. Spike looked at Kimberly and chewed his gum thoughtfully before extending his hand and saying, "Hi! Spike Skullovitch! It's great to meet you, Kimberly!"

She smiled at him warmly. "It's nice to meet you, too, Spike," she said, shaking his hand. "You look just like your father."

"Thanks," he said with the laugh he shared with his father. "So, Kimberly, do you have any kids?"

"Kimberly's son is the best elite gymnast Angel Grove has seen since... Well, since Kimberly, actually," Lt. Stone said with a laugh.

"I see... And... Your husband...?"

"Spike!" Skull said harshly as he felt his cheeks turning red.

"What? You know you wanted to ask," Spike said.

Kimberly had turned noticeably stiff. "I'm in the process of getting divorced," she said awkwardly.

"Oh, no! I didn't know, Kimberly," Lt. Stone said. "I'm surprised you and Mark split up. You two seemed so perfect..."

"Actually, Mark has a hand problem... And when I found out it extended to my son, I left him."

"I'm proud of you." Lt. Stone put an encouraging hand on Kimberly's shoulder.

"Thanks."

Skull stared at her. "Your husband hit you?" He asked.

"Yes. It's not something I'm proud of... I stayed with him for entirely too long, but I didn't know he'd ever put his hands on my son. When I found out, it was over... And I broke his nose."

"Good for you!" Lt. Stone said.

"What's his name?" Skull asked.

"Skull-" Kimberly began.

"Tell me his name. I'll make him regret it!" He was furious. How could anyone have ever put their hands on Kimberly? He hated guys who hit girls, but this was personal. Kimberly mattered to him, even if they never saw each other anymore.

"That's very sweet of you," Kimberly said genuinely, "but I'm okay. I left him, and that's what matters."

"No one has the right to do that to you!" Skull said sharply.

"I know that now... But thank you for offering to be my hero." She kissed his cheek and Skull forgot everything else for a moment. He was a teenager again. He began mumbling nonsense words as he touched his cheek and smiled.

"Dad? Earth to Dad!" Spike called.

"Huh? Oh... Sorry," Skull said.

"Skull... You said Bulk's in jail for murder. What exactly happened?" Kimberly asked.

"He found a little girl... She was already dead, but he touched her to try to check her... He was just praying the kid had somehow survived, you know?" Skull asked. "Anyway, Bulk didn't do it. I know he didn't... But his DNA's all over the girl, and her blood was on him, and it looks bad... The forensics are right here. Lieutenant Stone got the evidence sent to him as a favor from some of his former co-workers. We've been going over it and the reports again and again, but it doesn't matter. We can't prove he's innocent."

Kimberly paused. "I think I can help," she said.

"How?" Skull asked.

"I know someone who's a genius with science... He might be able to find something you guys are missing... The thing is, it's complicated to involve him... But I know he'd help."

"Who is it?" Lt. Stone asked.

Kimberly hesitated. "I can't say," she finally said. "Not before I talk to him, and maybe not even after... But I want to help Bulk."

"You do?" Skull asked in surprise. Kimberly hadn't always been his or Bulk's biggest fan.

"He saved Josh's life. Now, someone needs to save his."

"Josh?" Skull asked.

"Billy's son," Kimberly explained.

"Oh! You mean Little Billy," Skull realized. "Yeah, Bulk talks about him a lot. He tried to keep as much of an eye on him as he could in the last few years. He really likes the kid, and he feels sorry for him. He hated that he ended up in the system. It couldn't have been easy on him."

"It wasn't... But Bulk is the reason Josh is alive. He wouldn't give up on him until he found him and pulled him out of the rubble of the house... So I'm not going to give up on Bulk until we clear his name."

Skull believed her. He'd never seen her look so determined before. "Uncle Bulk really did that?" Spike asked.

"Yes," Kimberly said. "Bulk's a hero."

Lt. Stone nodded proudly. "I always knew he had it in him," he said. "Now let's show the rest of the world what we already know... What do you need, Kimberly?"

"Pack all of this up. I'll talk to my friend and if he's okay with it, I'll come get it for him."

"Will do!"

Kimberly was about to leave when Skull touched her arm gently. "Kimberly..." He said. "Thank you. Really."

"There's no need to thank me," she said. "Bulk may have been a bully, but he's always had a soft spot for kids. He'd never hurt one. I refuse to let an innocent man be punished for a crime he didn't commit."

Skull nodded and let her leave. He hoped her friend would come through. It seemed this might actually be Bulk's last chance.

KIMBERLY

She raced home, not sure how this conversation was going to go. All Kimberly knew was that she had to try. When she got inside, Billy was alone and sitting on the couch reading a book.

"Hey," he greeted her with a smile. Billy almost seemed like himself again. He was so close... Kimberly wasn't sure if asking him to do this would help him or make him relapse, but something told her giving Billy a science project with such high stakes would end up making him feel more like himself and boost his confidence. Still, she approached the subject with great caution.

"Billy... Can we talk?" She asked.

"Of course, Kimberly. What can I do for you?"

"It's not actually for me... It's for Bulk."

"Bulk?" Billy asked in confusion.

"Billy, Bulk needs help. He's in jail for something he didn't do, but Skull and Lieutenant Stone haven't been able to prove that he's innocent. They have all of the evidence. I was hoping you'd be willing to take a look at it?"

Billy hesitated. "I'm not sure, Kimberly..."

"Bulk saved Josh's life," she blurted out. She hadn't meant to, but Billy needed to know. He'd been told before, by Katie, by Tommy, and even by Jason, but for whatever reason, Billy kept forgetting that Bulk had saved his son. It was like any details that had to do with the explosion refused to stay in his mind for long.

"What do you mean?" Billy asked.

"When the explosion brought the house down, Josh was knocked back, and he ended up under the rubble of the house. Bulk saw the explosion and ran over to help, even though it was obviously unsafe. He also called 911." She paused. "He moved rubble and boards and everything that was in the way until he found Josh. He kept going even when he shouldn't have. It wasn't safe, and the explosion was so bad, the logical conclusion was that neither of you had survived. Bulk refused to believe that. He kept digging until he found Josh, and he pulled him out, and he held him and protected him and tried to comfort him until the paramedics could take care of him. Then, he started looking for you. We'd all shown up by then, and he dug through as much as he could... He didn't give up on either of you, Billy. Bulk was determined to save you both if he could. We all tried to dig and find you... We didn't know you'd been taken... When it was obvious we needed to get out, Casey told us you weren't there... Not dead, but just 'Billy's not here'... But we all assumed..." She shook her head. It still hurt to think about.

To Kimberly's surprise, Billy wrapped her in his arms. "I'm okay," he told her. "I'm home. I'm okay." She knew it was as much to comfort himself as it was to comfort her. Billy needed to repeat that to himself frequently to calm himself down.

"I didn't want to stop looking," Kimberly said softly. "And when I realized you were really gone... I couldn't function. I just froze where I was... I remember falling to my knees and it was like I couldn't breathe... Tommy had to carry me out of the rubble by force."

Billy held her a little tighter. "I can't believe Bulk cared so much... I always thought he hated me."

"He likes Josh. Bulk loves kids, and Josh is a great one. I guess with you guys living so close to his mom, Bulk got to watch Josh grow up, and he got attached."

Billy paused. "I'll do it," he said. "Get me the evidence. I'll sort it out for them. If there's any way to prove Bulk's innocent, I won't stop until I find it."

Kimberly nodded. "Thank you, Billy... And I think this will be good for you. I know science is still comforting to you, and working on this might save someone. You'll be a hero, like you always were."

"I'm no hero," Billy said sadly. It broke Kimberly's heart to hear him say that, especially since it was obvious how much the words hurt him. "But I'll help anyway."

"You're my hero," Kimberly said. "You were the one person I could always count on, Billy."

"I thought that was Tommy, riding in on his white horse to rescue you," Billy teased her. "Literally, that time you got stuck in the past, actually..."

"Jerk!" Kimberly said, playfully whacking his arm. "I was a teenager, okay? And the guy on the horse was his ancestor, not him."

"You still have him up on a hero's pedestal, Kimberly... But that's okay. That's where people like Tommy belong."

"You may not see it, Billy, but you are a hero. Any man who takes his neurotic, stubborn old friend and her young son in any time things get too bad at home, no matter how much she refuses to let him help her get out of the situation for good, is a hero."

"You needed me. Anyone would have done that."

"My own parents wouldn't do that."

"Which makes them jerks... But I'm still not a hero. I'm just your friend."

She snuggled against him. He couldn't see it. He still had Merkhet's programming in his head telling him he was worthless and anything but a hero, but Kimberly knew the truth; Billy had always been the best of them. Someday, she'd help him understand that.

TANYA

Maddie seemed to be doing much better. Tanya was fairly confident she could leave her for a little while. "Are you sure you don't mind staying with Jason for a bit?" She asked.

"Mom, I'm fine. Go find Aisha. Besides, it'll give me a chance to bond with my dad," Maddie said. She was still alternating between calling him that and Jason, but Tanya had noticed "Dad" seemed to be winning.

"Alright. Stay out of trouble. I love you."

"I love you, too."

With that, Tanya allowed Alpha to teleport her back to Africa. She didn't know how long she'd be gone. This could take a while, especially since she didn't know exactly where Aisha was or who had taken her. She hated the idea of being away from Maddie for any extended period of time, but wherever Aisha was, she knew she needed help.

Tanya saw Tia and Imani sitting together. "Tanya!" Imani cried, running toward her for a hug. Tanya picked her up and gave her one before setting her down so she could hug Tia.

"Is it time?" Tia asked.

"Yes," Tanya said. "I'm bringing you both to Angel Grove with me. We'll drop Mani off at my friend Jason's house. He has four sons who I'm sure will absolutely fall in love with her. Then you and I can go find your mother."

Tia nodded. "Come, Mani," she said. She took her little sister's hand, then took Tanya's. With that, she opened some sort of portal and they walked straight through to Angel Grove.

"That was amazing!" Tanya said. They stood outside of Jason's front door.

Jason opened it and smiled at her. "Are these Aisha's girls?" He asked.

"Yes. Mani, Tia, this is Jason. He's a friend of your mom's, too."

"Hi!" Imani said cheerfully. She hugged him. Jason immediately melted, as everyone who met that child seemed to do. Tanya knew he was already wrapped around her little finger.

"Hello," Tia said. "Thank you for taking care of my sister while we are away."

"No problem. This little cutie's going to give my sons a run for their money," Jason said.

"Come on, Tia. The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll find your mother," Tanya said. She knew it wasn't going to be easy, but she didn't care. It was time to bring Aisha home, one way or another.

ZEKE

He was too wired to sleep. That happened sometimes, especially when he took his ADHD medication later than he was really supposed to. It was the summer, and he liked to sleep in while he could, so sometimes, he ended up taking the pill as late as one or two in the afternoon.

Since he couldn't rest, he got up and left the house. He didn't look at the spot where his father had briefly died. He never did anymore, always looking anywhere else as he walked by it. He couldn't handle the reminder that he'd nearly lost him.

As soon as he was outside, Zeke began to run, because running usually cleared his head. He fell into a steady rhythm pretty quickly and tried not to think about anything but the way his muscles ached, begging for him to run even faster. He gave in, picking up speed until he reached the park. Once he was there, he ran along the familiar paths, enjoying the way it felt to push himself physically.

The Putty attack which followed was a surprise. Putties rarely came out at night, especially in groups. Zeke reacted quickly, battling them on his own. He wondered if he should call back up, but he was handling the attack well on his own so far. When the monster showed up, however, he knew he couldn't keep stalling.

"Katie! Sage! I need back up!" He said.

"What's wrong?" Katie asked. It was obvious she'd been wide awake.

"Putties in the park."

"At this hour?" Sage asked. "What are they up to?"

"I don't know... But there's a monster, too."

"Which one?"

"No clue. Please just get here. I'm in trouble."

Katie and Sage didn't hesitate, and moments later, they arrived already morphed. Zeke quickly morphed as well.

"Ah, Rangers!" The monster said. "Wonderful! I needed a midnight snack!"

"Eat this!" Katie said, flipping him off before swinging Saba at him.

The monster cried out in pain as Saba hit him. He tried to bite Katie, so she hit him again for good measure. The monster turned toward Sage and tried to bite her. She kicked him in the chest and he stumbled back. He tried to take a bite out of Zeke, but he ended up chewing on air as Zeke managed to dodge the attack.

It was going well until the monster grew, as monsters tended to do. "Great... We're facing a monster at night and the only one of us with a Zord that's not powered by sunlight is Sage," Katie mumbled. "I may need to try to call in my new friend..."

The monster pulled a tree up from the ground, roots and all, and ate it. "Someone has munchies," Zeke mumbled.

"Come closer, Ranger, so I can eat you!" The monster said.

"No thanks," Zeke said. "I'm good. Really."

The monster took offense and tried to grab him, but Katie got in the way and snapped his hand for daring to try to hurt her friend.

Sage called the Dragonzord. It arrived fairly quickly and suddenly, the odds were back in their favor. After a few minutes of battling the giant monster, Sage finally hit it hard enough to knock it down. It vanished and Sage got out of her Zord.

"That rocked," Zeke told her honestly.

"Thanks," Sage replied.

"I wonder why they sent a monster now..."

"Maybe they finally realized how much we rely on solar power," Katie suggested.

"I should get home. Dad's probably going to realize I left soon."

"Still sneaking out after all these years?" She teased him.

"I couldn't sleep. I got bored." He shrugged.

Katie shook her head. "Of course you did. Alright, let's walk him home, Sage. That way we know he doesn't run into any more trouble."

They did just that, finally leaving Zeke alone with his thoughts. At least he was tired now! He tried not to worry too much about the possibility that the bad guys had realized they were weaker at night. That seemed like a problem for another day. Zeke closed his eyes and finally fell asleep, but a little voice in the back of his mind was still worried something more serious might be coming. He chose to listen to his dad's advice for once and ignored the little voice so he could get some rest.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

ANGELINE

She was practicing combat magic when Merkhet walked into the room. "I need you, my dear," she said.

That was never good. "What do you need?" Angie asked.

"Send a monster to attack the Pink and Blue Rangers."

Angie stiffened. "Why those two? They're defenseless. They're no threat."

"They are vulnerable. If we destroy them, it will destroy the others, who are threats."

Angie wasn't sure what to do. She knew the Power Rangers were her enemies, but Josh and Kenny were her friends, and they were the only Rangers with no powers. "It seems like a waste to me. It's hardly a fair fight."

"My dear, we come from darkness and shadows. We do not have to play 'fair.' We fight to win."

"Yes, but-"

"Do as I say, Child!" Merkhet snapped.

"I am not a child! I am a sorceress. I am also the Princess of the great empire of Empress Rita and Lord Zedd and I am to be respected. Isn't that what you're always telling everyone?"

Merkhet glared at her. "Of course, Princess. Please excuse my earlier tone. Come. It's time for you to see your parents again."

Angie hated that she was excited by those words. She couldn't reach out to her parents without Merkhet's help. She hardly ever allowed her to see them, but when she did, it gave Angie a piece of herself back. Good or evil, they were her family, and like a child, Angie desperately wanted to be close to them.

"Will I ever be able to meet them in person?" She asked.

"I cannot send you into their prison realm. You come purely from them. You would become trapped forever," Merkhet reminded her.

"My siblings can come and go."

"They are halflings, Angeline. They come from your father's darkness, yes, but they also have the light of the former Yellow Ranger inside of them. You, on the other hand, are pure darkness. That prison was created to specifically trap both of your parents. Don't fret, Child. They will soon be free. We are steadily weakening their prison. That is why your parents are growing so much stronger. You will be reunited with your family, but only if you continue to help me. Now..." She cast her spell and the mirror connected to Angie's parents.

"Angeline!" Her mother cried in delight. "How are you, my dear one?"

"Hi, Mom," Angie said, the sight of her pulling on her heart. "My Lord," she added with a bow. Her father demanded that level of respect at all times.

Her father nodded at her. "Angeline." His greeting was emotionless. "Tell me, have you destroyed the Power Rangers yet?"

"I have a plan, Lord Zedd," Merkhet said. "Unfortunately, your daughter disagrees with it."

Angie stared at her. Had she really just ratted her out to her parents? "Angeline, Merkhet is a trusted adviser to our empire! Do as she says," her father said.

"I... I do not agree that her plan is a strong one," Angie said nervously. Her father was trapped in another realm, but his power still radiated when he was angry. Angie had lived with enough angry foster parents to know she didn't want to be on the other end of his wrath.

"Ugh! Teenagers!" Her father said. He looked at Merkhet. "Go on. Get her in line."

"Zeddy, no!" Her mother protested. "She will see things our way if we just reason with her."

"That takes too long! Just do it, Merkhet."

Angie felt something prick her neck. She saw Merkhet holding a needle and smiling. "What did you just do to me?" Angie demanded.

"That should make you much more cooperative," Merkhet said, ending the communication with Angie's parents. "It only lasts a couple of hours, but maybe you'll learn your lesson now... Sorceress."

Angie wanted to be angry, but for some reason, she couldn't be. She turned to Finster. "Finster! Make me a monster to destroy the Blue and Pink Rangers!" She said.

Finster looked at Merkhet. "What have you done to her?" He asked.

"I made her stronger. Now do as she says!" Merkhet said.

"Of course," Finster replied. Angie genuinely liked Finster. He was kind to her, nurturing, almost like what she imagined a grandfather must be like. Right now, however, she felt nothing for him or anyone else.

A short time later, he'd created an absolutely glorious monster. "This is Ripsploader," he said proudly. "His strength lies in sheer brutality. He can literally rip people apart. The Pink Ranger is a sensitive soul, and seeing that much pain and suffering will shake him up. Ripsploader also causes massive and devastating explosions, which we all know will frighten the Blue Ranger."

"Excellent work, Finster!" Angeline said. "Let's send him to work and see what he can do!"

KENNY

He was in the park killing time with Josh. As Josh read a book, Kenny began absentmindedly practicing some of his gymnastics skills, completing a tumbling pass that actually made Josh look up at him.

"Impressive," Josh said before returning to his book.

Kenny would have replied, but he heard the sound of screaming. He and Josh both looked up. Josh automatically bookmarked his page and closed the book as he jumped up.

A monster was attacking innocent people. Kenny watched in horror as it grabbed a random woman and literally ripped her spine from her body. He froze for a second. None of their monsters had ever done anything quite so brutal before. He had to help these people, but how could he?

Josh was already using his communicator to contact the Command Center. Even though they'd lost their power coins, they could still call for help.

Because that's heroic, Kenny thought. It really bothered him that he couldn't just morph and take on this bastard himself.

Suddenly, Katie, Sage, Zeke, Maddie, and Thorn showed up. With them were the Megaforce Team.

"Legendary Ranger, Mighty Morphin!" Emma and Noah cried in unison. Troy, Orion, Gia, and Jake remained in their Megaforce uniforms.

There was an explosion. A child started screaming for his dad. Josh froze. He stood trembling and hyperventilating and Kenny knew he was a sitting duck.

"Josh... Josh, come on..." Kenny called urgently, trying to get Josh to move to safer ground. Josh stared at the explosion instead. The monster was getting closer, and he was sending explosions their way.

"Josh! Kenny! Move!" Katie screamed.

Kenny did the only thing he could and picked Josh up. Still having a PTSD episode, Josh panicked and tried to fight back. Kenny struggled to keep his hold on him. Josh was a lot stronger than people realized because he preferred hiding his muscles under loose clothing and kept his arms at least partially covered most of the time, but especially in a panic, Josh was fully capable of hurting someone.

"Josh, it's me," Kenny said as his Godbrother continued to struggle against him. "You're okay..."

"Dad..." Josh whispered.

"Your dad's okay, too. You're both safe, Josh. Billy's home, okay? Your dad is home."

Josh stopped struggling, but he was still obviously terrified. Kenny finally got him to Orion. "Get Josh out of here. Take him to the Command Center, to his dad," Kenny said.

"He can stay hidden over here-" Orion began to protest.

"He watched his dad supposedly die in an explosion. He's having a PTSD episode. He needs to see his dad."

"What's PTSD?" Orion asked.

Kenny kept forgetting that Orion wasn't from Earth. "He has severe flashbacks to that day and panics. He won't be okay until he's out of here. Please, Orion. He needs help... And I can't do it, or I'd take him myself."

Orion nodded. "I will bring him there, of course," he said. He gently approached Josh as if he might shatter. Kenny was mildly impressed with how quickly he flipped that switch, but then he remembered Emma and Orion appeared to be a couple, and Emma seemed to be very sensitive. Obviously, Orion had to have a softer side to make that work. When Josh still didn't move, Orion shrugged and tossed Josh over his shoulder before teleporting away.

Kenny watched as the battle continued. That was all he could do. He wanted to jump in and fight beside his friends, but he was forced to watch Emma do it instead. As she fired off the Power Bow, Kenny felt completely useless. Emma let out a cry of joy and bounced up and down as she successfully hit the monster, doing a fair amount of damage to him. I've been replaced, Kenny thought. And by a hyper, happy, perky girl who bounces and giggles when she hits a target.

Something in him broke again. The team didn't need him anymore. He couldn't do anything more than point and suggest they attack the monsters. He had won the fight with Rito, sure, but he'd been lucky that time. He was certainly no match for this monster who ripped out spines and blew things up.

As the Zords were called, and Emma took command of his Pterodactyl, he felt like he couldn't breathe. He had made a comment about the color the first day, but now, Kenny was proud to be the Pink Ranger. His mother's legacy was incredible and he loved honoring it in battle. Sure, monsters often mistook him for a girl and flirted with him, but he was mostly able to laugh about that. Hell, sometimes that worked in his favor because they automatically underestimated him... But now, the Pink Ranger was a bouncy girl who loved butterflies and spent her free time daydreaming about pretty clothes and cute boys. Emma was exactly what a Pink Ranger was supposed to be, and Kenny felt completely inadequate suddenly.

He was still feeling pretty awful when the battle ended. He started flashing back on the night he had lost his power coin. Just his luck, Emma was the first to reach him. She looked at him with big, concerned eyes. "Are you okay, Kenny?" she asked. She automatically tried to touch his arm.

That's how Tye got you, his brain reminded him. All it had taken was one touch and he'd been under Tye's control. He jumped back from Emma, ripping his arm away violently. "Don't touch me!" He screamed at her.

"I... I'm sorry," Emma said, looking like he'd slapped her. "You just seemed upset."

"That doesn't mean touch me... Just back off, Emma!" He knew his anger was misplaced, but he needed to let it out. "Not everything can be fixed with hugs!"

Katie rushed over to them. "Go," she said firmly. Emma squeaked and ran to her friends. Emma had made the mistake of touching a pissed-off Katie exactly once. She was now completely terrified of Katie, who'd verbally assaulted her far worse than Kenny had.

Katie looked at him. "Are you alright?" She asked.

"No," Kenny admitted. "I just... I didn't want to be touched, and Emma's so damn touchy-feely..." He shook his head. He knew he should apologize to Emma, but he couldn't bring himself to just yet.

Katie softened even more. "Come on. I'm buying you lunch," she said. Kenny didn't protest. Suddenly, all he wanted was to get the hell out of there.

TWO DAYS LATER.

THORN

He was exhausted. Thorn had been running on adrenaline for too long. When he got home, he saw his mother sitting on the couch meditating. He curled up beside her, like he'd done ever since he was a little kid, and waited for her to notice.

"Hello, my Tadpole," she said suddenly, petting his head gently. "Bad day?"

"I'm just tired," Thorn replied. He shifted so he could rest his head on her shoulder.

"Holding on to too much pain will do that," she said knowingly.

"I'm trying not to," Thorn said.

"But you are angry."

"Well, yeah, I'm angry. Aunt Kat murdered my boyfriend. I think I'm entitled!" He paused, horrified he'd snapped at his mother. Thorn never did that. He had always been taught to be respectful of his elders, and he was especially close to his mother. "I'm sorry," he said quickly.

"Thorn, your anger is justified... However, you are not an angry person. It's foreign to you, and it's eating you alive."

"I can't help it..."

"You need help, my Tadpole. You have to talk to someone."

"I don't know how..."

"You are so much like your father."

Thorn knew that was why she called him her tadpole. She called his father her little frog because of his spirit animal. As her son, she'd deemed him her "even littler frog" and nicknamed him Tadpole.

"Dad wouldn't snap like this."

"Trust me, even your father had his moments of doubting himself and pain... It's what brought us together. I revealed my identity as the Green Ranger to help him cope with those emotions as Goldar tried to manipulate him into believing he wasn't good enough. It was the start of our relationship." She smiled at the memory. Thorn smiled at how in love his parents still were. Ever since high school, there had never been anyone else for either one of them. He hoped that he and Caleb would have a love story like that one.

Thorn clutched his father's power coin in his pocket. He was happy to have his powers back, but the coin wasn't his, and it mostly served to remind him that he'd been trusted with the power only to lose it and need his father to give him his instead. He was a disappointment to both of his parents.

"Mom... I'm sorry. I know my anger and outbursts are a disappointment to you," he said.

"I'm not disappointed in you, Thorn... I'm worried," she said.

He hated that he'd worried her. "I'll be okay, Mom," he said.

"I know you will. Now, go see Caleb. I know that helps you."

He nodded. "Okay. I love you, Mom."

"I love you, too, my Tadpole." She kissed the top of his head before he left, and it helped a bit. His mother always knew how to comfort him. He was determined to do better, and to make her proud.

CASEY

She knew what she had to do. She also knew the risk. Casey took a deep breath before getting in her car and driving to the reservation to see David.

"What's up?" David asked as she arrived.

"We need to talk," Casey said cautiously.

"I'm listening," David said.

"The children need my help, David..."

"Okay... With what?"

"I need to get their power coins back."

"It's never just, like, boy problems with this family, is it?" David shook his head. "I'm so glad I'm the normal one." He smiled, but Casey saw the fear in his eyes. He may not be a Power Ranger, but he understood what was at stake.

"David... I may not be coming back."

"Don't go, Casey." Her admission had clearly scared him. "Please. We'll find another way."

"If I don't do this, Katie will probably get it in her head to try. It's too dangerous. My Shaman abilities can help give me an edge."

"Casey, you can't just run off and get yourself killed! Your kids need you... I need you."

"I love you, David... But I'm doing this because I must. Thorn is angry and lashing out. The other children are broken, too. They need their power coins back."

"Why does it always have to be you?"

"I am a Shaman. It's what I do. And this is the path I am meant to take."

She hugged her brother. He shook his head. "Please don't do this."

"I'm sorry, David. I have to." She kissed his cheek before leaving.

I wish I could see Tommy, she thought, but she knew he'd never let her do this. She only hoped he could forgive her if it ended badly.

She drove to one of the strongest sacred spaces she knew. She set herself up, but before projecting where she needed to, she projected to Adam.

"Casey?" He asked, trying to understand why her astral form had come to visit.

"My Little Frog... I'm about to do something you won't like," Casey told him.

"What's going on?"

"I'm going to get the power coins back. No matter what happens, they will return to the Command Center."

"What do you mean?"

"Adam... What I'm doing is very dangerous. It may be too much for me."

"Casey-"

"I may not come back from this."

Adam froze. "No," he said. "No, I refuse to believe that. You can do this. You're coming back."

"Little Frog... There's a very real possibility that I'm not."

"You can't go into this without hope! If you go in expecting to die, you will."

"I don't want to leave you, Adam. I'm not looking to get myself killed, but I'm realistic, and I am trying to prepare you."

"There's nothing to prepare for. You're going to be fine. I won't give up on you, Casey! When we were teenagers, and the power coins got destroyed, you sealed yourself in that crystal because your soul was tied to your coin... And I carried you around my neck until we found our new powers. I didn't give up on you then, and I'm sure as hell not giving up on you now." He paused. "I love you, and I believe in you enough for the both of us. You're coming back."

Casey looked at him sadly. She loved him more than she'd ever imagined she could. He was her rock, her best friend, and the only man she'd ever loved. Today, she knew she was breaking him. I'm so sorry, my love, she thought. Aloud, she said, "I love you."

"Casey... I-" Adam began.

She pulled herself back before he could say anything else. She had to do this. It was time.

Using everything she had, Casey projected into Zedd and Rita's prison realm. She knew she'd find the coins easily enough, and she did. She also knew she wouldn't be able to just leave with them.

"You..." Zedd said coldly. He'd always hated Casey for saving the Green Ranger power by pulling it into herself.

Casey was prepared to fight. She battled Zedd with everything she had. They struggled for a while before she knew she had to act. Using every ounce of her power, Casey sent the power coins to the Command Center. As the last of her life force drained out, Casey knew the coins were safe. She, however, was another story.

She felt herself being pulled out of the prison realm. Suddenly, Casey was looking at an Underworld deity. It was the same one her daughter had faced.

"A life for a life," he spat at her. "Your daughter escaped me. You will not."

Casey knew it was over then. She had already made her peace with it. She prayed her family would be alright as the angry God dragged her off to his Underworld.

TOMMY

He was sitting in his room wishing Katie would forgive him. They'd had a stupid argument that was entirely Tommy's fault two nights ago and Katie had taken off. He knew she needed time to clear her head, and also to cope with having killed her mother, but he missed her and suddenly wished he hadn't pushed the argument.

Suddenly, he felt the ache in his chest grow to something much worse. For a split second, he thought he was having a heart attack, but the pain was replaced by a sense of hollowness.

Casey, he realized. Something was wrong... His sister was gone.

"No..." He whispered, but he couldn't deny it. He could feel it. Somehow, Casey was dead. The admission made him start to cry, and then he screamed and fell to his knees sobbing.

"Tommy?" Kimberly called in alarm. She knocked on his door before opening it. "Tommy, what's wrong?"

"Casey..." He whispered. He could say no more. He let Kimberly stay with him, but even she could not comfort him. Eventually, he rolled over and pretended to fall asleep. Kimberly finally left him. He was alone... In too many ways.

First, Tommy's wife had turned evil. Then she'd tried to kill him, and their daughter had been forced to kill her. He'd lost his wife in every way possible, but he'd been trying to cope with that. Now, he'd lost his sister, and that, he could not cope with, no matter how hard he tried. Completely defeated, Tommy wept until he had no tears left. Even then, his breathing refused to calm down and he could not speak. He had no fight left in him.

KATIE

She was hanging out on Corinth with her Zord friend. It was about as far away from everyone as she could get. That was why her aunt suddenly appearing in front of her startled her. She recognized an astral form when she saw one, but it was still unusual.

"Aunt Casey?" Katie asked. "What are you doing here?"

"Katie... I know why you left... But you need to go home. Your father needs you," Casey said.

"Is Dad hurt?" Katie suddenly put everything else aside. If her father needed her, even if he'd annoyed her with his stupidity, she was going to him.

"Not physically... Katie, sweetheart... I'm dead."

Katie stared at her. "What? How?" She had a million questions, but there wasn't time to ask them. Her father needed her.

"The power coins are back. I can't stay, sweetie... Just please go to your father. He needs you now."

Katie didn't ask any more questions. She teleported immediately. Her father was in his room hysterical. Katie didn't say anything as she crawled into his bed and wrapped her arms around him. After a moment, he rolled over and held her, burying his face in her hair as he cried.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"I'm sorry about Aunt Casey," Katie replied.

"How did you know?"

"She appeared to me. I teleported as soon as she told me."

"Thanks, Punk." He sniffled. "I don't deserve you."

"Nope! But I love you anyway."

"I love you, too."

They didn't say anything else after that, but her father stopped crying hysterically. It was a step in the right direction.

ADAM

He finally arrived at the sacred space. He instinctively knew that was where Casey had gone. She's okay, he told himself. She's fine. Stop freaking out. Casey's strong. She's fine.

He knew, in his heart, that his wife was already gone, but he refused to believe it. Adam walked toward Casey's favorite spot. He saw her lying on the ground, too still, but he refused to admit what that meant. He walked over to her. Only when he touched her did he admit it to himself.

"Casey..." He sobbed. He pulled her body into his arms, rocking her, as though this might somehow bring her back.

This isn't real... He told himself. He desperately tried to shift his mind back to denial, but it didn't work. She was dead... Casey, his wife, the only woman he'd ever loved was gone, and she wasn't coming back. He'd lost her. He'd lost her.

Adam had never felt the level of grief that hit him now. He hadn't even known it was possible. He clutched her body closer, refusing to let her go.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Adam pulled himself together enough to do what he knew he must. He had to bring her home. Their children needed him now more than ever, and chances were that Sage already knew, even if Thorn hadn't figured it out yet.

Adam still didn't let go of her as he stood. He swept her up in his arms and carried her like a child, gently, as though he might hurt her somehow. He felt tears still rolling down his cheeks as he carried her into the car. He cautiously placed her across the backseat and began to drive, trying not to think too much. He was on autopilot. He had to do this. He had to bring her home... He had to take care of Tommy, and David, and the kids... He had to hold the family together now that she was gone...

When he finally arrived home, Adam wasn't sure what to do. Should he take her to a hospital? What would he say? In theory, he should have called 911 upon finding her, but he figured he could tell them he thought he could get her there sooner on his own. He sighed and began driving to the hospital. He carried her inside, even though he knew they could do nothing for her.

"Help..." He whispered. He tried again. "I need help!"

A couple of employees came over with a stretcher. "What happened, Sir?" One asked.

"I found my wife... She was on the floor... She's not breathing... Her... Her heart st... stopped..." Adam began to cry again. He couldn't do this... But he had to.

The employees looked like they already knew saving her was a lost cause. Still, they tried, and he appreciated the effort. After attempting CPR for a couple of minutes, they looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry," a doctor said. "Time of Death..." Adam stopped listening after that.

She's gone... He thought. She's really gone...

"Sir... Sir, can we call someone for you?" A nurse asked.

He shook his head. "No," he whispered. "No, I have to go home... My kids... I have to tell my kids..."

"I don't think you should drive right now," the nurse said gently. "We need you to fill out some forms and answer a few questions for us anyway... You could ask someone to come by in about two hours to pick you up."

Adam knew he had no choice. He sighed. He'd have called Tommy, but chances were very good that Tommy already knew and wasn't in any condition to drive either. He finally settled on calling the only other person he could think of.

ROCKY

Somehow, when the phone rang, Rocky knew it was trouble. He picked up cautiously. "Hello?" He answered.

"Rocky..." Adam said, his voice cracking.

"Adam, what's wrong?" Rocky asked, immediately alert.

"It's... It's Casey," Adam whispered. Rocky wasn't even sure he heard him correctly. "Casey's gone..."

"What? Adam, what happened? Where are you? Are you okay?"

"Her heart stopped..."

"Where are you right now? Are you alone?"

"I'm at the hospital... I haven't called anyone else," Adam said tonelessly. "Not even the kids."

"I'm on my way."

"Two hours... I have to talk to people and fill out paperwork and... and clear my head. Just come get me in two hours? Please? They don't want me to drive."

"I'll be there. Are you sure you don't want me to come now?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Adam... I'm so sorry..."

"I know. I'll see you later." Adam hung up.

Rocky was still clinging to the phone as the truth actually sank in. He sank to the floor, overwhelmed with emotion, and began to cry.

"Dad? Dad, what's wrong?" Zeke asked as he came downstairs.

Rocky struggled to pull himself together. "Dad, what is it?" Zeke asked again.

"Zeke... Something's happened," Rocky said gently.

"Just tell me. Please, Dad. You're scaring me."

"It's Casey, Zeke..." Rocky took a deep breath. "Casey's gone."

"Gone? Gone where?" Zeke asked. Rocky knew his son damn well knew what he meant, but he probably couldn't accept it.

"She died, Zeke... She... Adam said her heart stopped. I'm so sorry... I know how much you love her."

Zeke's face fell. "No," he said. "That's impossible... I mean... It's Casey, Dad! She's practically immortal with her Shaman tricks and everything else... She's fine. She has to be..."

Rocky pulled Zeke into his arms. Together, they cried, and Rocky vowed to get it out of his system before he needed to meet Adam at the hospital. His best friend needed him. He would be strong.

SAGE

She'd known as soon as her mother died what had happened. She might have screamed or freaked out or done something, but Troy was with her. He'd held her hand and she'd managed to hold herself together. Her father, her brother, and her uncles would need her.

Sage had asked Troy to drive her to the reservation. When her uncle opened the door, his face fell at the sight of her.

"Sage..." He whispered.

"Uncle David, I'm here because..." She began.

"She's gone... I know." He shook his head. "Come in, sweetheart. And bring your son."

"You know."

"I do." He led them both inside. "Have you checked in with your father or your brother yet?"

"No... I came here first. Thorn and Dad have other people to lean on... I figured Mom would want someone to take care of you."

David looked at her sadly. "You're so much like her, Sage..." He hugged her. "Hey you, Mute Kid... Do you speak?"

Troy looked like a deer in headlights. "When I need to," he replied cautiously.

"Troy's a little shy," Sage explained.

"Well, you're family, so get over it. Stay for dinner."

"Where's Aunt Cecily and my cousins?"

"On a spiritual retreat... So it's just us."

"Uncle David... You shouldn't be alone."

"I'm okay, Kiddo. Crushed, devastated, and grieving, but I'm a tough son of a bitch. I'll get through this." He looked at Troy. "I hope you like to eat. I made way too much food because I cook when I'm stressed."

"Sure," Troy replied. "Thanks."

"I'm gonna turn you into a chatterbox one of these days, you'll see."

"I doubt that... No offense."

"You're like a crazy Native American warrior," David teased him. "The stoic Chief headed into battle. Smile once in a while, Kid. It's good for you."

David continued trying to act like he was okay. Sage saw through it, but she knew that focusing on taking care of her and Troy was helping him. Still, eventually, it was time to go home. "Please don't be a stranger," she said. "If you need to talk, we're all here for you."

"I'll be okay, Kiddo. And I'm not going anywhere," David promised.

Sage hoped her uncle wouldn't pull away from everyone. Right now, however, it was time to check on the rest of her family. As she and Troy headed home, she struggled to figure out how to face them. She wasn't sure what to expect, and that scared her. She closed her eyes and reached out for guidance. As a Shaman, she could help people cope with things like this. She decided not to worry about how to help herself with her grief for the time being. That could come later, when the others were doing better. The most important thing was being there for them now.

THORN

He knew something was wrong. He could feel it. He also knew the power coins had been recovered, because Josh and Billy had been hanging out at the Command Center when they'd reappeared, and Josh had called and told him the good news.

He sat with Caleb, trying to figure out what was bothering him. Caleb kept running his fingers through Thorn's hair and trying to comfort him. Finally, he went home, bringing his boyfriend with him. When the front door opened, he got an answer.

"Dad!" Thorn called. Then he saw Rocky. "Rocky? Is... Is everything okay?" He asked.

"Thorn... Something happened today," Rocky said gently.

"What's going on?"

His dad took a deep breath. Thorn knew it was bad, and he tried to prepare himself for it, but nothing could prepare him for what his father said next. "It's your mother, Thorn," his dad said softly.

"Where is she?" Thorn asked.

"Thorn-"

"Why isn't she here? Where is she? I want to see her," Thorn said. His chest was tight. He couldn't breathe. He knew where this was going, but he refused to believe it. It was impossible.

"She's gone, Thorn... She passed away," his father said. Rocky put a hand on his dad's shoulder, steadying him.

"No... No, you're wrong. You're wrong! She's fine! I just saw her a few hours ago!"

"Thorn... We lost her," Rocky said. "I'm so sorry..."

Suddenly, Thorn knew what had happened. The timing made it too obvious. His mother had gotten the power coins back... And she'd given her life to do it. And the only reason he could think of that she'd done it was him... He'd been behaving so unlike himself. He'd disappointed her... And now, to try to give him back what he so desperately needed, she'd gotten killed.

He collapsed onto his hands and knees. Suddenly, all of the rage inside of him burst out with a cry of anguish, and he was left with nothing inside but complete emptiness. His father tried to comfort him, but he couldn't. Rocky tried, but that didn't help either. Finally, Caleb wrapped his arms around him and Thorn allowed him to hold him as he cried. He kept crying until he blacked out from exhaustion.

TWO DAYS LATER.

TOMMY

The hardest thing he'd ever done in his life was burying his sister. Everyone stood beneath a beautiful tree. The plot was on the reservation, in a sacred cemetery Tommy suspected Casey would have liked. Her death had been ruled to be from natural causes. The doctors said her heart stopped suddenly, probably from a heart attack.

Adam cried silently, but stood strong beside him. David kept his distance, unable to deal with Tommy for whatever reason. Katie stood on his other side, holding his hand and giving him strength. Sage clung to Troy. Thorn stood beside Caleb. The kid hadn't spoken a single word since the night Casey had died. That worried Tommy more than anything else. It wasn't that Thorn had ever been overly chatty, but he'd certainly not been completely silent either. It was obvious his depression ran deep, and Tommy was scared for him.

As the funeral came to a close, Tommy took a deep breath. "Are you okay, Dad?" Katie asked softly.

"No," he admitted. "But I will be. It's just hard... We shared a womb, Katie... And it took so long for me to find her. When I did, it was like this piece of me that had been missing finally came back... It was like that with David, too, but Casey... She came into my life first. She helped me find myself. And she took on the Green Ranger power to save me... She risked everything... That's just who she was. I loved her so much, Punk..."

"I know, Dad..." She hugged him. "I'm so sorry you lost her."

He held her closer before walking toward David. "We're gathering at their house later, if you want to come," he said. "Or you could just swing by my place after that. We should talk."

David nodded. "Okay," he said.

Leaving the cemetery was hard, but Tommy was glad to get away. He couldn't keep staring at the hole in the ground and knowing why it was there.

The gathering at Adam's house was depressing, as most post-funeral gatherings tended to be. Tommy got through it by making small talk with everyone who'd come. Rocky stayed close to Adam and tried to take care of him while Adam took care of everyone else. Tommy noticed Thorn disappeared into his room with Caleb. After he didn't return, Tommy walked upstairs to check on them. Thorn sat on the floor, sobbing, with Caleb holding him. Neither one spoke, but Tommy could see Caleb trying to feed Thorn. Caleb spotted him and excused himself.

"How's he holding up?" Tommy asked.

"Not well," Caleb said. "I'm making sure he eats twice a day, but he's on autopilot. He refuses to even do that much unless I'm the one trying to feed him. Adam doesn't know what to do with him."

"He'll be okay. Thank you for taking care of him, Caleb."

"Always... I love him."

"I know... I wish he'd told me that before," Tommy said with a sad smile. "I'm completely supportive of you guys. I can see how good you are for him."

"Thanks. That means a lot... I know it would mean a lot to him, too."

Tommy nodded. "I have to head home, but if you need anything, call me, okay? Maybe I can help you help Thorn."

He headed home with Katie. Once there, he saw David waiting outside for him. "Hey," he said with surprise. He hadn't expected his brother to actually show up. "Come on in."

David followed him inside. Katie went upstairs to give them some privacy. That was when David snapped and threw a punch at Tommy. "What the hell?" Tommy demanded.

"You should have stopped her!" David shouted. He began pounding his fists against him. Tommy was too stunned to react at first, and then, he couldn't bring himself to hit his brother. "Fight back!" David screamed at him.

"I won't fight you, David," Tommy said firmly.

David hit him again. "Fight back! Fight back, you asshole!" He hit him again, harder this time. "You didn't stop her! Why didn't you stop her?"

"I didn't know, David! She didn't tell me what she was going to do!"

"You didn't stop her! You should have tried harder!" His punches became less focused, and finally, he burst into tears. "I should have stopped her... I should have tried harder... I should have knocked her out so she couldn't leave..." He became hysterical, falling to his knees.

Tommy knelt beside him and held his brother. "It's not your fault, David," he said. "None of this is your fault."

Katie stood on the stairs, looking at them in horror. Tommy knew he was a little bloody and he'd probably have some nasty bruises in the morning, but he couldn't blame David for snapping. He felt the same way. He looked at Katie and mouthed, I'm okay, Punk. She nodded, but sat on the steps watching them to make sure nothing else happened.

David finally stood. He looked at Tommy with tears still in his eyes and said, "I'm sorry." Without another word, he ran from the house.

Katie rushed to his side with a cloth and began cleaning up his face. "Are you alright?" She asked.

"Better than David, I think," he replied. He couldn't believe that had happened. He allowed Katie to clean him up and tried to focus, but his heart ached, both for the sister he'd lost and the brother who had broken so thoroughly.

THREE DAYS LATER.

AISHA

Someone was coming. She could feel it. Aisha was desperate for help, and finally, someone had heard her. She knew it was Tanya. No one else had a connection to her the way that Tanya did. She could also sense Tia.

"Honey..." Aisha said gently to Tye, who sat beside her staring off into space. Tye did that a lot recently. Zedd had clawed her face open and burned her with acid. Tye would probably be scarred for life physically, and she was certainly scarred for life emotionally. "Honey, help is coming, and you have to let them get you out... My friend Tanya is bringing your sister, Tia... They can protect you, but you have to go with them. You, and Tessa, and Taylor." She didn't mention Tanner. She knew he wouldn't leave. Tanner was loyal to his father.

Tye didn't respond. "Tye, do you understand?" Aisha asked. "You have to go with them. You'll be safe with them."

"Never safe..." Tye whispered. That was more than she'd said in ages, and it broke Aisha's heart.

"I promise, they'll protect you." She hugged her daughter. Tye didn't say anything else. Aisha saw Tessa and pulled her closer. "Tessa, baby, I need you to do something for me. My friend is coming with your big sister, Tia... And when they get here... You have to go with them."

"I can't leave you, Mama," Tessa protested.

"I'll try to go, too... But your brother might not let me. And please, please take Tye with you, and convince Taylor to go. I know he won't want to leave me, but I need you guys to be safe. I love you. I have to get you out of here, so Tanner and your father can't hurt you anymore."

Tessa looked frightened. Aisha held her, hoping it would comfort her. "Can you do this for me, baby?" She asked.

Tessa nodded. "I'll try, Mama," she replied.

"That's my girl." Aisha prayed Tanya and Tia would get there soon. She didn't know how much longer the kids could last, especially Tye. Even if their conceptions had been complicated and horrible, they were her babies. She loved them with all of her heart, even Tanner, who was trying very hard to prove he was a monster like Zedd. She had to protect them.

TANYA

They'd been traveling for what seemed like months. Tanya was impressed with the way Tia handled herself around monsters. If she and Aisha hadn't traded destinies, and Tia had been the one to inherit the legacy instead of Maddie, Tanya knew she'd have made an excellent Yellow Ranger.

She knew they were close when she saw a monster she hadn't expected. "Hey, Yellow!" Rito greeted her. "Long time no see! How have you been?"

"Super," Tanya replied casually. "And you?" Maybe she could keep Rito distracted with chit-chat and he'd just let them in.

"Ready for a fight!" With that, Rito attacked, and Tanya desperately wished she still had the ability to morph.

"Stay behind me," she told Tia. "He's very dangerous. This is Rita's brother." She'd told Tia all about Rita and Zedd and their many minions.

"You need my help," Tia pointed out as several other monsters appeared.

"Tengas, attack!" Rito cried out.

The Tengas were fierce creatures. Tanya knew she couldn't keep Tia out of the fight because they were surrounded. She'd already seen that the girl knew how to fight. She hoped that would be enough now.

Fighting monsters was like riding a bicycle. It came back to Tanya easily. She knew she could outsmart the Tengas in battle as long as she focused. They could speak, but they weren't overly intelligent. She kicked one hard in the chest and it flew into another, knocking them both out.

Rito grabbed her by her hair. "Not so fast!" He shouted. "Listen to me, or else, Yellow!"

"Or else what?" Tanya asked.

"I... Um..." He paused and released her so he could scratch his head to think of a response. Tanya took the opportunity to kick him hard in the side, knocking him over. Tia opened up a portal and shoved Rito right through it.

"Where did the rest of the Tengas go?" Tanya asked Tia.

"I managed to knock most of them out," Tia replied.

Tanya was pretty amazed. She took Tia's hand. "Let's go. I think we're almost there."

Tia nodded and opened up her final portal. That was when Tanya saw the unmistakable sight of Aisha, surrounded by children. "Aisha!" Tanya cried.

"Tanya... Thank God," Aisha whispered. She stood and came toward her. Tanya saw that she was limping.

"You're hurt," she said.

"I'll be okay. We have to hurry. Tessa, Taylor... Bring Tye here," Aisha called. She pulled Tia into her arms. "My girl... My sweet, sweet girl... You found us..."

"Mama..." Tia whispered.

"I'm alright..." She opened her arms further so she could hug Tanya, too. "Guys... I know this is hard to explain, but... Tia, these are your siblings. This is Tessa, and Taylor... And that's Tye."

Tia looked at Tye's face and Tanya saw anger flash on the older girl's. "He did that to her?" Tia asked.

"Yes... That's why you have to get them out of here."

"We're getting all of you out of here," Tanya said firmly. She didn't question how Aisha had these children. She suspected she didn't want to know. The only thing that mattered now was rescuing them.

"Intruders!" A voice bellowed. "Bring me their heads!"

"Zedd..." Aisha whispered with a shudder. "We have to go. Now."

"Opening a portal here will be difficult," Tia said. "It is guarded. It will take time." She began working on it.

"Take them and run," Aisha begged Tanya.

"No. No, I won't leave you," Tanya said.

"I'm not leaving without you, Mom," the boy Aisha had called Taylor said firmly.

"Just go, Taylor. Please. I need you safe," Aisha begged.

"No. Send the girls. I'm not leaving you."

Suddenly, the energy of the room changed, and someone appeared. Tanya recognized her. "The Sorceress..." She whispered in horror. They were out of time.

ANGELINE

"The prison's been invaded!" Merkhet said. "You must go to your parents and protect them!"

Angie stared at her. "I thought it was impossible to safely send me there," she said. She was still furious that Merkhet had drugged her, and now it seemed she'd been lying about not being able to send her to her parents, too.

"Forget about that. Just go. There's no time to argue!" She opened up a portal, and suddenly, Angie was sucked through. She landed on her feet and stared at the person standing before her.

"Angeline!" Her mother cried. "My girl... Finally, you're here!" She embraced her, and Angie was overwhelmed. Her mother was hugging her. She'd waited for this moment for her entire life, and now, it was happening.

"Mom..." She whispered.

"You're so beautiful... Oh, I'm so happy you're here! We're in trouble, Angeline... A former Ranger has invaded our prison."

"Enough!" Her father declared. Lord Zedd stared at her coldly. "Defend us, Angeline. It is your job."

He sent her toward the breeched area. Angie saw someone she recognized as Tanya standing there with a girl she didn't know, Aisha, and three of her half-siblings.

She was about to do her job when she saw Tessa's big, bright eyes looking back at her. She knew what she had to do. "Go," Angie said sharply. "Hurry up. Take your mother and run."

"What?" Taylor asked in surprise.

"Take Aisha and get out of here. All of you. Now! I can't buy you much time." She knew her brother wouldn't leave his mother behind, and the only way to get all of them out was to do it herself. She walked over to Tia and took her hand. "Let me help you." She opened the portal up stronger, and it stayed open. "Go! Get out of here." She paused. "Where's Tanner?"

"I may have knocked him out because he pissed me off..." Taylor said with a slight smile.

"Okay, fine. I'll worry about him later. Go on."

"No," Taylor said. "I won't leave you here."

"You hate me anyway."

"Maybe I misjudged you."

"Maybe you did. Go. Please. I just want you guys to be safe."

"Angeline... He'll never let you go."

"I don't care. Please just leave."

Taylor nodded and Angeline ran back to try to distract her parents. That was when she saw Tanner, who was just regaining consciousness.

"You..." He mumbled. "You traitor..."

"Tanner... You can leave, too," Angie told him. "You're my brother. Let me help you."

"Oh, you're helping me just fine..." He paused. "Father! She has betrayed you! Angeline has allowed them to escape!"

"How could you?" Angie demanded.

Her parents came into the room. "What's this now?" Her father asked.

"She let them go! She helped them escape!" Tanner said.

"She wouldn't," her mother protested.

"Woman... Shut up!" Her father said. He pulled something out and tossed it at her, and her mother fell unconscious.

"What did you do to her?" Angie demanded.

"It's merely a sleeping potion. It's the only way I ever get any rest from her constant whining!" He looked at Angie. "Now... You must be punished for your betrayal!"

Angie was backed into a corner. Her father pinned her to the wall and she knew immediately what it was he was thinking of doing to her. "No..." She whispered. "You're just like them... You're just like all of the monsters..." Her life in various foster homes and group homes had been filled with abusive people who preyed on children, but she'd grown up dreaming that her parents were different. They were good people who'd never harm a child... Not monsters...

He's the biggest monster of them all, she thought, her heart breaking as her father tried to violate her. She was left in complete shock when someone interfered.

Her father gasped for breath and struggled, moving enough for her to free herself. "Run!" Taylor told her. He had activated his incubus abilities and was holding on to their father's life force.

"Taylor! I told you to leave!" She said.

"And I didn't listen. Go, Angeline! Get out of here! I can't hold him for long."

"Not without you." She grabbed his hand and dragged him a few feet before opening the portal she hoped she could escape through. As it turned out, Merkhet had been lying to her after all. She was able to escape easily, sealing the portal behind her and her brother.

"He's going to kill me," Taylor mumbled.

"He'll have to catch you first. Come with me. I know where they took your mom and sisters."

She started to walk when suddenly, Taylor screamed in pain. "Taylor!" Angeline cried.

"Go!" Taylor shouted as he faced his attacker.

"Merkhet..." Angeline realized.

"Come home, Child, and we can work this out. I've come to bring you both back to your father," Merkhet said.

"No way in hell!" Taylor said. "Angeline, go!"

"I won't leave you," Angie said.

"He'll go after Josh and Kenny and anyone else he thinks made you betray him!"

Angie paled. "I have to warn them," she realized. "You're right... I... I have to tell them the truth."

"I'm okay," Taylor said, although this was clearly a lie. "Just go!"

Angie hated having to leave him, but she had no choice. She'd kept her secret for too long, and now Josh and Kenny were in danger again. There was nothing she could do to save Taylor and she knew that deep down... But maybe she could save her friends.

"I'll come back for you," she promised. Then, she ran as fast as she could.

TAYLOR

He knew he was going to die. He was okay with that. His short existence had been nothing but horrible anyway. What was the big deal if it ended? His mother and sisters were safe. There was nothing else they could do to him that mattered.

"I'll make you pay for your disrespect," Merkhet told him.

"Blow me," Taylor replied.

"I will see you be loyal! In fact..." She laughed cruelly. "I will call in my true master, and we shall see what he does... I shall offer you up as a sacrifice, and you shall be his strongest minion after he turns you!"

Taylor was nervous. This didn't sound like a good thing. He was injured, however, and he couldn't run. He had been ready to die, but the idea of being turned evil by force was another story.

Suddenly, something appeared. It was a snake-like creature with human arms. It hissed at Merkhet. "Leave." It said firmly.

"Yes, Master," Merkhet said quickly. She ran, clearly afraid of pissing him off.

"Hmmm... Incubus..." The snake hissed. "What is your name?"

"Taylor," he admitted.

"Taylor... I could turn you. You'd make a beautiful addition... Your energy is pure, in spite of your father... You are lovely, and you'd give me much power."

"So do it. Get it over with." He didn't care anymore.

"No. Merkhet does not give me orders. She needs to remember who is in charge." He touched him. Taylor flinched away, but then he realized the snake was healing him. "Go on, Taylor. Live your life. I will not harm you." The evil being released him, and Taylor was left completely confused.

He could have gone to find his family, but he didn't. They were safer without him. His father would see him dead and he knew it. He did the only thing he could and walked in the opposite direction, not sure where he was going or what he'd do when he got there. All he knew was he was finally free, and that left a lot of options he'd never expected to have.

ANGELINE

She nearly made it to Kenny and Josh's house when something landed in front of her. She stared at his golden legs and her eyes rose until she saw he had the face of a monkey.

"Hello, Angeline," he said coldly. "I am Goldar, loyal servant of Empress Rita and Lord Zedd. Your father saw fit to summon me out of hiding and back to Earth to put an end to you."

Angie was frozen in horror as he attacked her. She'd seen a lot of monsters in her time training under Merkhet, but none had been as powerful as Goldar. She'd heard about him. The stories were legendary. She knew that with the injuries her father had given her, she stood very little chance of escaping this alive.

With every ounce of fight she had left, which was very little, Angie tried to defend herself. To her great surprise, suddenly, several people appeared.

The entire Power Rangers team stood before her, ready to defend her. Kenny was at the center. They had morphed.

"Stay behind us," Kenny told her.

Angie did as she was told. She watched in shock as the Power Rangers battled Goldar for the very first time. Even Thorn, who she knew hadn't spoken so much as a word or gone to training at all since his mother's death, had shown up for this. He still didn't say anything, but he battled fiercely. Finally, it was Katie who managed to wound Goldar enough to make him turn and run, but not before he declared, "This isn't over!"

Kenny and Josh knelt beside her. "Are you alright?" Josh asked. He tried to disguise his voice.

"I'm fine," she lied.

"You're bleeding," Kenny pointed out.

"I'll live." She paused. "You saved me... Again."

"Again?" Kenny asked, trying to cover it up.

"I know who you are, Kenny. And you, Josh."

They stared at her before exchanging glances. "How?" Kenny finally asked.

"I know who the entire team is," she admitted. She paused. "Because... I'm..." She shook her head. "I've been lying to you guys. I'm not who you think I am."

"What do you mean?" Josh asked.

"Can you come out of your morphs? I want to tell you this to your face. You deserve that much."

They walked to a more secluded area before doing that. The rest of the team remained morphed. "Okay," Katie said harshly. "Spill. How did you figure out who they were?"

"I know who all of you are, like I said, Katie," Angie said. "I..." She sighed. "It was me. All of it."

"What do you mean?" Kenny asked.

"I'm the Sorceress," she blurted out.

Everyone stared at her now. "That's not possible," Josh said.

"You know I have magic, Josh. Where do you think I learned it from?"

"But... But the Sorceress is..."

"Rita and Zedd's daughter? Yeah. That's why I live in a group home."

"I don't understand..." Kenny said.

"I'm so sorry... I never wanted to hurt anyone... But Merkhet found me, and she told me she could bring me to my parents, and then I found out the truth... I know they're monsters... But I wanted to know my parents so badly... I wanted a family... And she was offering me that." She shook her head as the story began to pour out of her. "I figured learning magic wouldn't be so bad. I had no control over it before. Things would just happen around me. It's why no one ever kept me... But Merkhet taught me to control it, and eventually, she had me start making monsters." She shook her head. "I'm so sorry! She had me convinced you were all horrible people, that you and your parents were just terrible human beings who destroyed my family... And when I found out Josh was one of you, I started to question it."

"You saved me..." Josh remembered. "That day, with the monster... I froze, and you called the monster off and protected me... I didn't understand..."

"I didn't want anyone to hurt you. You were literally my only friend in the world. I tried to see you as my enemy, but I couldn't."

"But you kept coming after us," Zeke said.

"I had to. I believed you were the bad guys... It makes no sense, I know... But I wanted to free my parents." She sighed. "And then, when she wanted me to knock you all out with that potion, I didn't want to do it... So she killed Lexa..." She started to cry and she looked at Josh. "She had a monster murder Lexa right in front of everyone... Kenny, Zeke, and Maddie were in the park and they looked right at her... I figured out afterward that she was probably invisible, and with her being mute, there was no way they could have heard her scream..."

"Lexa's dead?" Josh asked. He looked like he might cry, too.

"Yes... They arrested someone for it, some innocent human, but I can't tell the police that. There's no proof it was a monster."

"Bulk..." Kenny said. "Mom said he's in jail for the murder of a little girl."

"Bulk would never kill a kid," Josh said in horror.

"No, but the police don't want to listen. Mom asked your dad to look over the evidence. We'll tell him what he's looking for and maybe he can help better that way."

"I'm so sorry, guys," Angie said again. "I never wanted to hurt any of you... But Josh... Josh, there's something else..."

"What is it?" Josh asked cautiously.

"When your power coins were stolen... It was my half-siblings. They're Aisha's kids. They're not bad kids, not really... Except Tanner. They were just doing it to protect their mom... But I stopped them from hurting you. I couldn't handle the idea of you going through that again." She stared at her feet and took a deep breath before looking at him again. "But Tessa, the youngest... She's eleven, and Taylor told me if she didn't have your power coin, they'd kill her... And do worse before they did..." She hesitated. "I know you're going to hate me for this... I'm so sorry... But I stole your power coin. I had watched you open the safe before... Because I sent it back to you. I made sure you had your dad's will. They'd already taken your dad from you, and I wanted you to be safe... But I knew the code, and I opened it and stole your coin, and I'm so sorry... I'm a horrible person, but-"

Josh shook his head. Then he pulled her into his arms, stunning her. "You're not a bad person," he said. "You did everything in your power to save me... You kept them from hurting me because I was too stubborn to hand over the coin... But she's a child. Even I knew that. You had to protect her, too."

"You... You don't hate me?"

"Not even a little."

"Neither do I," Kenny said. He hugged her, too. That was the last thing she'd expected.

"Why'd you send the monster a few days back? The one that went after Josh and Kenny?" Sage asked.

"I had to. I tried telling them no, but... But Merkhet drugged me with something, and I had no control of myself," Angie said. She sighed. "That sounds like a lie... But it's true."

"I believe you. I can tell when someone is lying." Sage shook her head. "In spite of who your parents are, you're a good person."

"I want to be... But I don't know if I can be."

"You're already being one. Just keep doing that."

"Angie... What happened to you today?" Kenny asked cautiously.

"I helped Tanya get Aisha and my siblings out... And my father was angry. He..." She shook her head. "He showed me what a monster he really is."

Josh touched her arm gently. "Angeline... Your hair's a mess and your clothes are torn... How far did it go?" He asked softly.

"Too far... But Taylor saved me before he could... Before..." She shuddered. "I'm okay. He didn't get what he wanted."

Josh looked visibly relieved. "We can't send you back to the group home. Not now."

"I have to go back. They'll think I ran away."

"No... I'll talk," Josh said firmly.

"What?"

"I'll tell the truth. I'll tell them everything. They'll shut that place down... Lock them up..." Josh looked like he might cry. Angie hugged him.

"You don't have to."

"Yes I do. They can't be allowed to keep hurting kids, Angeline..."

"Angie," she corrected him. "I don't think I want to go by Angeline at all anymore."

"Angie... I have to tell the truth."

"What truth?" Kenny asked.

"The monsters we've seen aren't the only type out there," Josh replied.

"Josh... I could just make them all disappear," Katie offered.

"No. It's time we do this the right way. I have to tell the truth."

"So do I," Angie said. "You're not doing it alone, and if you talk, I'll talk, too."

He nodded. "Thank you," he said.

"It's the right thing to do." She paused. "I still have to go back, though. Until we report it."

"No you don't," Katie said suddenly.

"What?" Angie asked in shock. She figured Katie would hate her more than any of them.

"You aren't going back to that place. I'll get my dad to let you crash for a night or two, and we can figure out something more permanent later."

"Katie... I just admitted I'm the person who's been trying to kill you all for months. Why would you help me?"

"Tell me one thing. Did you turn my mother evil?"

"No. I never even really met your mother."

"Then we're cool. You told the truth, Angie. In front of all of us, while most of us were still morphed and could easily have destroyed you. That took guts, and it tells me that you're a good person."

Angie felt herself start crying again. "We'll protect you, Angie," Kenny promised.

"We're with you," Josh added.

For the first time in her life, Angie felt completely accepted. She couldn't begin to express her gratitude as the very people she'd been trying to destroy led her to safety with open arms. Finally, she knew she was making the right choice. Whatever happened next, Angie knew there was no going back now.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

TOMMY

The last thing he'd expected was for the Sorceress to be his latest house guest, but Katie had been pretty insistent. "We don't have any extra rooms, but the couch is very comfortable," Tommy said warmly. If Katie said they should give the kid a chance, that was good enough for him.

"Don't you dare put her on the couch!" Kimberly said in horror.

"Oh, no, the couch is fine," Angie said. "I don't need much."

"Nonsense. Take my room. I usually end up staying with Billy at night, anyway... He still has trouble sleeping." There was no point trying to lie about Billy being alive, seeing as how the Sorceress would already know that. Looking at the kid, however, Tommy didn't see a super villain... He saw a terrified little girl who'd been through the ringer.

"I couldn't possibly-" Angie began to protest.

"I insist. Come on. You can borrow any of my clothes that catch your eye, too. I have some nightgowns you can sleep in. I'll get you settled in." Kimberly led Angie upstairs, fully in Super Mom mode, and Tommy knew the kid was in good hands for the night.

"Mom always did want a girl," Kenny said with a laugh.

"So, tell me again how this went down, Punk?" Tommy asked.

"She helped free Aisha and the kids, and Zedd got pissed," Katie said. "He tried to rape her, Dad... But one of Aisha's kids got her away. Unfortunately, Zedd sent Goldar after her, and that's when we showed up."

"I can't believe he's back... I was hoping you kids would never have to deal with him." He paused. "Zedd really tried to rape her? I know he's evil, but... He's her father. How could any father do that to his kid?" He shook his head. Zedd was evil on a level he'd never understood before. "I'm proud of you for taking the risk and bringing her here. She'll be safe now."

"Well, considering the greatest Power Ranger in history started off evil, too, I figured everyone deserves a second chance," Katie said with a grin. Then, she shrugged and added, "And if she turns evil again like another Power Ranger that started off evil, she'll meet the same fate that bitch did."

"I'm not sure if I'd call myself the greatest Power Ranger in history..."

Deadpan, Katie said, "I was talking about Karone." Then she laughed. He hugged her as he laughed, too. He hadn't laughed much since Casey's death. It felt good.

"Well, I admit, she was pretty great as a villain... I mean, Astronema had serious power... But after Andros saved her, Karone became one hell of a Power Ranger."

"Dad, I know she's a Pink Ranger, but please tell me you're not crushing on Andros's little sister."

"Of course I'm not! Andros is my friend. Besides, she's with Leo from the Galaxy Rangers, and they're very happy together." He didn't add that, as a new widower, he had no interest in romance whatsoever. He was fairly certain that part of his life was over, and he was okay with that. As long as he had Katie, he'd be alright.

MADDIE

It was odd to be back home, but Maddie was thrilled to see her mother. She hugged her and then hugged Aisha, who she had only ever spoken to on the phone. Imani ran into her mother's arms and refused to let her go.

"Honey, these are Aisha's daughters. You met Tia already... This is Tessa, and that's Tye," her mother said.

"More big sisters!" Imani declared, hugging Tessa. She tried to hug Tye, but Tye jumped away from her.

"Tye's been through a lot, Baby," Aisha said.

Imani immediately reached out to touch Tye's very scarred face. Tye flinched, but Imani kissed her cheek and it seemed to instantly soothe the older girl. Maddie wondered if Imani possessed gifts beyond just talking to animals.

She knew Tye was the girl who'd gone after Kenny and Zeke, but she also knew she'd let Zeke go. Maddie suspected the scars on her face had been her punishment. She's not like her brother, Maddie realized. She was scared to have two of the people who'd stolen their power coins under her roof, but seeing them, she understood they were just kids like her. There was nothing evil about them, and neither of the boys were there. She could deal with this.

"Mama... Is Taylor okay?" Tessa asked.

"I don't know, Baby," Aisha said gently. Maddie could tell she was near tears.

"Taylor went back at the last second," her mother explained. "He refused to leave the Sorceress... He's a very brave boy. I hope they made it out of there."

"I don't know about Taylor," Maddie said, "but Angie made it here. She's safe. We saved her from Goldar and she told us the truth about everything."

"Goldar's back?" Aisha asked in horror.

"Yeah, but we handled him for now. Even Thorn showed up!"

"Why wouldn't he?" Her mom asked.

Maddie suddenly remembered that her mom didn't know. "Mom... Casey's gone... She got our power coins back, but it killed her."

Her mother was obviously trying not to cry. "My God... Oh, poor Adam! Is he alright?"

"Not Casey..." Aisha said in horror. Maddie knew that she'd been Adam's best friend before switching destinies with her mom. That probably meant she'd been very close to Casey, too.

"Mama... Is this our fault?" Tessa asked.

Aisha pulled herself together. "Oh, no, Baby... You only did what you had to... But you don't have to do things like that anymore."

Maddie understood that the girls, at least, had only done what they needed to in order to survive. She hoped Thorn and the others would see it that way. If they ever had a chance of living normal lives, they needed people to accept them and forgive them. Maddie took a deep breath and decided she'd do everything in her power to help the girls adjust to their new lives. 

THE NEXT DAY.

JOSH

He was extremely nervous about what he needed to do. He saw his father sitting at his desk, looking pretty calm as he studied a file.

"Dad... Can we talk?" Josh asked cautiously.

"Of course," his dad said.

Josh closed the door. "Dad... When I was in the system... It was really hard for me," Josh began. He started pacing.

"I know... I see that in your eyes. I'm so sorry, Josh..."

"It's not your fault... But you need to know the truth, Dad, and I've been so scared to tell you... I was worried you'd snap... That you'd go totally off the deep end, and I'd lose you forever this time..."

"Josh... You're not going to lose me. I promise."

"They..." Josh shook his head and tried again. "The first place I went, I heard stories... I got beat up by bigger kids, but other than that, I was mostly okay. The second one was worse. One of the older boys... He started... He would pull down my pants and..." Josh shuddered, trying to force himself to breathe. "I told a staff member... And he started doing it, too. They'd touch me... Make me do things to them... I... I felt so disgusting, and I was so scared... I couldn't tell anyone, because the one person I told just joined in... I finally got kicked out because I hit the kid because I couldn't take it anymore... And they sent me to the last group home..."

"Josh... My God, Josh..." His father said, his voice cracking with emotion.

"My counselor there... Ian... He was different. He took it slow, starting out just... Just touching my leg when I was upset. But eventually, one day, we had a session, and he told me he could 'fix' me and 'make me feel better.' Then he..." Josh began to hyperventilate. He couldn't do this. He couldn't say any more.

"Josh, I'm here... It's over now. You're safe, and that son of a bitch will never touch you again!"

Josh was shocked enough by hearing his father curse to slow his breathing a bit. "He raped me, Dad..." Josh whispered. "They all did, but Ian... He tried to convince me that he was helping me, and that I wanted it... He broke me..."

"You aren't broken, Josh... Just cracked. You can get through this." His father pulled him closer and cried with him. "I'm here, Josh... I love you... We'll get through this together, okay? Like we always do."

Josh nodded, too exhausted to do much else. He'd finally told his father what he'd been trying so hard to hide from him, and now he was left barely able to breathe because he couldn't take it back. He couldn't pretend that everything was alright and that he was a perfectly well-adjusted kid. It was a relief, but as he finally allowed all of his emotions to hit him, he feared he might shatter.

"I was so scared, Dad..." He whispered.

"I know," his father replied soothingly. "It's okay to get scared, Josh. But you're not alone anymore."

Josh knew that much was true. He allowed his father to hold him, finally safe in the arms of someone who wouldn't just turn around and abuse him, too.

THORN

He lay curled up on the floor, sobbing again. That was how Caleb found him. "Thorn..." He whispered. He sat down and pulled Thorn closer so he could hold him. Thorn rested his head in Caleb's lap and allowed him to stroke his hair as he continued to cry.

"I'm going to make us some food," Caleb said gently a while later. Thorn shrugged, which was more of a response than most people got from him lately.

Caleb vanished. Some time later, Katie walked into the room. "Hey," she said. "I wanted to check on you."

Thorn looked at her, but said nothing. "I know you're not okay... But please talk to me, Thorn. It might help," she continued. He said nothing, but shook his head. Katie sighed. "Come back to training, Thorn. It might help. You did great with Goldar. We need you." Still, he didn't respond. Finally, she asked, "Why did you even show up for that battle then?"

"I couldn't just leave you..." He said softly, his voice hoarse. It hurt to speak after so long.

"Because you're a good person," Katie said, visibly relieved he'd finally spoken.

Thorn looked at her and shook his head. "She's dead because of me," he whispered.

"Thorn, no. Aunt Casey made her own choices."

"To try to help me... And it killed her."

"That doesn't make this your fault."

"I hurt all the time, Katie... I let all of my rage go, and there was just... Nothing. I have nothing left in me but this hollow feeling and it hurts, Katie! It hurts so much..."

She looked at him with concern. "Thorn..."

"I don't want to be here anymore. I just want to fade away and be gone... "

"Thorn, don't you dare-"

"I won't do it... Kill myself, I mean. I can't do that to Sage... Or my dad, or you... And I can't leave Caleb... But I don't stay because I want to. I just know I don't have a choice." He looked at her with tears in his eyes. "I want to be with her... I want to die."

He could tell he was scaring her. He should have just stayed silent... Words didn't change anything anyway.

"I love you, Thorn... But you need help. You need to talk about this, and you need a routine... I'm going to talk to your dad and see if we can figure something out."

Caleb came in with food then. "Hi, Katie," he said. "Would you like to eat with us?"

"No thanks. Next time, though," Katie promised. She left.

"Okay, Thorn... I know this is your favorite, so-" Caleb began.

"Thanks," Thorn said.

Caleb stared at him. "It's really good to hear your voice!" He said.

Thorn nodded before forcing himself to try to eat. He wasn't hungry. He had barely eaten since his mother's death because he had no appetite, but Caleb had literally begun scooping forkfuls of food into his mouth, forcing him to eat, and Thorn hadn't had the energy to fight him. Besides, seeing Caleb soothed him slightly, even if it couldn't pull him out of his depression. Caleb was the only light in a world of darkness, and Thorn was desperately trying to cling to him.

MERKHET

She was not surprised in the slightest by Angeline's betrayal. She'd tried to warn her parents, but they wouldn't listen to her until it was too late. She regretted sending the girl to them now, but there was nothing she could do.

"We must destroy the ones who turned her against us!" Zedd declared.

"Yes, of course," Merkhet replied. "She must be punished for her actions."

"She's still a child. She doesn't understand what she's done," Rita insisted. "Punish those Power Rangers, not my daughter. I'm sure once they're out of the way, she'll come back home... She's a teenager, Zeddy. They rebel. She didn't mean it... And their escape cracked the prison further. We can use that."

"Yes... It cracked after the former Green Ranger died, too. We are nearly free," Zedd said.

"I have a brilliant idea," Merkhet said. She'd been sitting on this one for a bit, waiting for the right time.

"Do tell, Woman," Zedd commanded.

Ugh. I shall destroy him first when this is all over with, Merkhet decided, not liking his tone. Aloud, she said, "I know a human in their lives who is already a monster... I shall make this physical as well, and he will destroy them... Starting with the Pink Ranger!"

"Yes! Wonderful! Have Finster and Babboo assist you in making whatever potion you'll need."

"What about Squatt?" Rita asked.

"Sit him in a corner with a cookie or that ridiculous toy Angeline gave him. He'll stay out of your way and not screw anything up."

"I believe the humans call it a... fidget spinner?" Merkhet replied. "It does seem to keep him out of our hair... I think your daughter fancied him as her pet or something. I personally find him rather useless... At least his brother delivers."

"You should meet their sister!" Rita said. "Scorpina's a real piece of work. She's great at keeping them in line, too."

Merkhet filed that name under possible minions to recruit. Most of Rita and Zedd's empire had gone deep into hiding, but they were slowly starting to pop back up as word traveled that their masters might soon be free. She'd heard of Scorpina, the wife of Goldar, and she suspected she had a significantly higher intelligence level than most of the other minions. She might be an asset. For now, however, Merkhet needed to focus on setting her plan in motion.

MARK

He was actually sober for once. Mark really wanted to change that, and fast. Ever since Kimberly had taken Kenny and left him, he'd been more miserable than ever. He had to get them back... But how? Kimberly was shacked up with Tommy now... Fucking Tommy, who ruined everything, because no one could possibly compare to that perfect son of a bitch.

He'll pay, Mark vowed. They all will. Kim is mine. He can't steal her from me, and he sure as fuck can't have my kid!

"Such darkness..." A voice said, startling him. A remarkably beautiful yet terrifying woman stood before him. "I do appreciate that in a man."

I swear I'm sober... Why am I hallucinating? Mark wondered.

"I am not a hallucination, Mark," the woman said. "My name is Merkhet, and I am here to help you."

"Help me with what?" Mark asked cautiously.

"Your revenge, of course."

He stared at her. This must be a trick. Maybe Kim had sent her so she could trick him into doing something to get arrested. "Look, Lady... Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying."

"Oh, but I think you'll enjoy what I have to offer, Mark... I can give you back what you lost. I can repair your back, and make you invincible so nothing can ever break you again."

He frowned, considering this. "How?" He asked.

"Very simply... With magic. I am an ancient being, Mark. I began as a demigoddess, but I've grown into so much more... My master saw to that. I can give you anything you want."

"Even my family?"

"Especially your family... They destroyed you. Now, it is your turn to destroy them."

"I'd never hurt them! I love them!"

"You love them so much that they infuriate you... You slap them, beat them... You choke your wife sometimes..."

"Kim just... She makes me so mad sometimes! And Kenny talks back, or he defies me... I'm his father. My word should be law."

"Of course. It's completely understandable. I am not judging you, Mark... But others will if you don't stop the two of them from spreading lies and painting you as the villain." She paused. "Let me help you, Mark."

"Alright... What do I have to do?"

"Step closer... Now... Into the fire." She raised her arms and flames shot out of the ground.

"What?! Are you nuts?"

"It won't harm you." Merkhet stuck her hand in to prove this. "It will transform you."

Mark figured he had nothing to lose. He stepped into the flames and was surprised to realize that they felt good. The pain he always felt in his back vanished. He could feel his body becoming stronger. Suddenly, he didn't need alcohol anymore. The only thing he craved was bloodshed.

"Yes, my monster!" Merkhet said with a powerful, dark laugh. "Rise up! I shall make you stronger than any monster they have ever faced! You shall be unstoppable! You shall be Achilles, my most glorious monster yet!"

"Achilles..." He repeated, testing the name out. Its incredible power wrapped around him and he knew it was right. Mark had been weak and pathetic and broken... As Achilles, he was now free, and it felt amazing. Nothing would ever stop him again.

He felt his muscles harden. His body changed, becoming larger and even more toned than he'd been at the height of his all-too-short career as an elite gymnast. His face hardened, too. He ran into the house and saw his reflection. He didn't look like himself anymore. He resembled some sort of minotaur. The power flowing through him was intoxicating.

"Very nice, Achilles. You're quite a handsome monster now that the outside matches what was always inside of you," Merkhet said. She stroked his horn approvingly. "Yes... You will serve me well, I suspect." With that, Merkhet disrobed, and Achilles gave in to the animalistic instincts she inspired within him.

He lay on his back as Merkhet mounted him. Only after she'd finished did she allow him to take control, and that was when he learned what his new vessel was capable of. He'd always been a beast, but Kimberly was too fragile to enjoy how rough he could be. When drunk, he hadn't cared about that so much, and now, he didn't care at all. She was his, and he intended to remind her of that.

He was exhausted when Merkhet finally stopped him. "Join me at home, my monster," she said.

"I shall follow you anywhere, Mistress," he replied.

"You shall rest, then take a few days to learn to control your new powers as I make you fully invincible. Like the Achilles of legend, you must have one small weakness, but I will choose it carefully. You will be strong, my monster." She took his hand and suddenly, they traveled to another realm. "Rest, Achilles," she said. Instantly, he fell into a deep slumber.

KIMBERLY

She woke up completely terrified. She wasn't sure what had frightened her, but she didn't feel safe. Kimberly was alone in Billy's bed because he'd spent the night with Josh. It was a big step for him because his nights were still filled with nightmares and flashbacks. Josh needed him, however, and that had been enough to force Billy to trust himself with his son for the night.

Kimberly pulled on her robe and walked down the hall. The first thing she did was check on Kenny. He was passed out at his desk, and Kimberly knew he'd refused to sleep again. She needed to help him break that habit. She slid a pillow under his head and wrapped him in a blanket. Kenny was too exhausted to so much as stir. Closing his door, she checked on everyone else. Billy lay in bed beside Josh, holding him close. She smiled, reminded of the way Billy had frequently ended up sleeping like this after his wife died because Josh always snuck into his room after Billy fell asleep and crawled into his bed.

She checked on Katie next. She didn't open the door, but listened for anything that might imply there was trouble. Everything was fine. Next, Kimberly checked on Angie. She heard the unmistakable sound of whimpering and opened the door. Angie was thrashing in the bed. More alarmingly, the bed was levitating in the air.

"Oh my..." Kimberly whispered in surprise. That was a neat trick. "Angie... Angie, sweetie, wake up. You're having a bad dream."

"Power... Too strong..." Angie mumbled.

Kimberly looked at the height of the bed. Then she looked at the bedside table. She climbed up on that before standing on her toes and judging the distance, then flipped herself through the air and into the bed.

Angie was still thrashing. Kimberly did the only thing she could... She wrapped the girl in her arms and tried to comfort her as she woke her up. Angie awoke with a start and the bed crashed down to the floor.

Kimberly shook that off and looked at Angie. "It's okay, honey. You were just having a nightmare," she told her.

Angie hesitated before allowing Kimberly to hold her. "Thanks... How did you get onto the bed?" She asked.

"I'm a gymnast and I was a Power Ranger... Flying comes naturally to me," she replied with a laugh.

"No one's ever just... held me before when I had a nightmare."

"I'm sorry... But I'm here for you, and I'm a hugger, so anytime you need to be held, come find me."

Angie looked like she might cry. Kimberly stroked her hair soothingly. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked.

"Merkhet made some sort of monster... I can sense him. He's too powerful, Kimberly. I'm worried."

Kimberly shuddered, feeling unsafe again. "I'm sure the kids can handle it," she said, trying to be outwardly optimistic. Inside, she had a terrible feeling. "Are you okay now, sweetie?"

"I think so," Angie replied. "I'm tired. I just want to go back to sleep."

"Okay. Get some rest." Kimberly automatically picked up Angie's blankets from the floor and covered her.

Angie looked at her with surprised eyes. "Thanks," she said softly.

Kimberly gently pet her head for a minute before leaving. It broke her heart to see how obvious it was that this girl was so starved for affection and kindness in her life.

As she reached the kitchen, Kimberly heard movement. She tensed before realizing Tommy was in the kitchen.

"Couldn't sleep?" She asked.

Tommy jumped. "Not really," he admitted as he recovered from being startled. "I thought I'd make a two AM snack." He pulled a bag of popcorn from the microwave. "Want some?"

"Sure," Kimberly replied with a smile. They sat on the couch. Tommy turned on the television and put on a truly horrible movie. Snuggled up beside Tommy watching it and eating popcorn helped Kimberly relax. Whatever was scaring her, she knew she was safe for the time being. She tried to focus on that.

TWO DAYS LATER.

KATIE

She hated to leave so soon. Katie had her arms wrapped around Jayden. "Andros needs my help," she said.

"I wish you didn't have to go," Jayden replied, "but I understand."

"Jayden, you should go home for a bit..."

He looked at her. "Your team needs me."

"You're homesick. I can tell. Go see Ji and Lauren and everyone. Take a week or so... You deserve a break and you need one."

Jayden sighed. "What about their training?"

"I'll call Tori. She trains people for a living. I'm sure she can handle the team for a little bit."

"Tori missed the funeral..."

"I know. She couldn't get out here in time. Kira told me Tori felt awful about that."

"You could always let Kira train the team," he said with a laugh.

"Well, it wouldn't be boring, that's for sure!" Katie laughed, too. Kira was pretty out there, but Katie adored her. The Dino Rangers had been led by her father when Katie was about three, and Kira had become like her crazy big sister. She'd been part of her life ever since, visiting often to torment "Doctor O" as she liked to call Katie's father. In spite of this being one of her life's purposes, Kira was actually extremely close to him.

"Seriously, though, that's probably a bad idea," Jayden said.

"I know... But I miss Kira. She was only able to stay for the day of the funeral, so we couldn't talk much. I should call her."

She did just that, after getting in touch with Tori, who agreed to help. Kira and Katie talked for a bit before Katie mentioned Goldar had returned. "Wait... As in the big golden monkey?" Kira asked with interest.

"Yeah, he's running around somewhere," Katie confirmed.

"I'm coming to visit."

"Um... Okay... Why?"

"So I can fight the golden monkey! Duh!"

Katie laughed. "He's not your problem, Kira."

"Maybe not, but doing battle with a golden monkey is totally on my bucket list!"

"Of course it is."

"I mean, that should be on everyone's bucket list! How many people can honestly say they've done that?"

"My team, my dad's team..."

"A limited number, Katie! And I will be on that short list."

"Hurry up and get here so I can see you before I leave the planet."

"I'll be there tonight. Stay on Earth that long?"

"I'll be here until Tori settles in, so it'll be at least a day."

"Great. I'll treat you and Doctor O to dinner... How's he doing?"

"He's trying."

"I'll keep him distracted and have him smiling again in no time."

"Thanks, Kira. It helps knowing you'll be watching his back while I'm gone."

"You know I've always got his back. He'll be fine, Katie." Katie sincerely hoped this was true.

ZACK

He was sitting on Jason's couch when his cell phone rang. Jason was outside with Ollie. "Hey, Baby Girl," Zack greeted his daughter, whose name was on his Caller ID.

"So forward..." A voice said with a seductive laugh. "My dear Black Ranger, we hardly know each other!"

"Who is this?" Zack demanded.

"My identity is unimportant."

"You have my daughter's cell phone. That seems pretty damn important to me."

"Worry not, Black Ranger."

"I'm not the Black Ranger."

"You were once... The first, in fact. And that is why I need you."

"Where the fuck is Tamira?"

"The girl is perfectly safe in my care... For now."

"Listen, you bitch, if you so much as look at her wrong-"

"There's no need for threats. You cannot harm me, Ranger."

"I have a name. It's Zack. And you are...?"

"My name is Merkhet, but you may call me Mistress."

"Sure. That'll happen."

"You are going to work for me, Zack. You shall betray your former teammates and do my bidding. You shall be a spy amongst their ranks."

"I'll never betray them!"

She laughed cruelly. "Perhaps this shall change your mind..."

Suddenly, Zack could hear the unmistakable and heartbreaking sound of his daughter sobbing. "Daddy... Daddy, I'm scared," Tamira said through her tears.

"Hang on, Baby. You're going to be fine... I promise, everything's going to be okay," Zack said, struggling to keep his tone even. "I love you..."

"Now you understand what's at stake," Merkhet said. "If you disobey me, I will not hesitate to harm your daughter. Or perhaps I should offer her up to Lord Zedd. He needs a replacement for Aisha."

"No!" Zack cried out. "Don't hurt her. Please. I... I'll do it." He figured he could come up with a way out of that later. Right now, an empty promise might keep his daughter safe, and that was more important than anything else.

"If you betray me... If you even mention this to anyone... I will make the girl Zedd's new pet."

"Please... She's just a little girl!"

"She's a teenager. That's old enough."

He didn't know what to do. If he tried to tell Jason or anyone else what was going on, Merkhet would know. He couldn't let Tamira get hurt. "What do you want me to do?" He asked.

"For now, just keep this to yourself. I shall be in touch." With that, she hung up the phone.

A minute later, Jason and Ollie came back inside. "Is everything okay?" Jason asked, sensing he was upset as he always did.

"Yeah," Zack said quickly. "Everything's fine... I need to go-"

"I thought you were staying for dinner?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, you promised to show me some moves after," Ollie reminded him.

"Right... Right, of course I'll stay... What are we ordering?"

"Chinese," Jason said, still looking at him like he had three heads.

"Great. I'm starving." He forced himself to smile. He had to. The only thing that mattered now was keeping Tamira safe.

TAMIRA

She was alone. Tamira was terrified and confused, and it was dark. She hated the dark. She began singing to herself to soothe her nerves.

"I've got a sickness... I'm showing symptoms... I've got a sickness... I'm showing symptoms..." She sang. "Take it out, take it out, take it out somehow... I think I'm burning up... Take it out, take it out, take it out somehow... I think I'm burning up... I can't talk, this empty house... And I can't sleep on this old couch... Loaded reflections singe me through... Why have the tears and the sadness become so commonplace? The fear and the madness... Help me out, let's take back the night... Let's take back... Let's take back the night."

She opened her eyes as she sensed a light appearing. She let out a startled cry at the sight of a monster.

"Oh, my! I'm so sorry, my dear... You just have such a lovely voice! What was that tune?" The monster asked.

"I... It's called The Fear and the Madness... It's by Eyeshine," Tamira explained nervously.

"Eyeshine? What an interesting name..."

"Yeah... They're pretty cool. This guy, Johnny Yong Bosch is the lead singer. He's awesome."

"Is this typical Earth music?"

"Sure... I listen to a lot of different things. Hip-hop is great, but rock's fun, too."

"Will you sing me some more, Dear?"

She hesitated. This monster didn't seem to want to hurt her. "Okay," she said. She resumed the song, finishing it for him. It made her feel better, and he seemed delighted by her performance.

The monster clapped. "Oh! How rude of me... I'm Finster. Who are you?"

"Tamira."

"What a lovely name. Don't worry, Tamira. I'm not here to harm you. Merkhet just demanded I watch over you and keep you out of trouble." He paused. "Are you hungry? Angeline left a lot of snacks around. I'm sure I can find something you'll eat."

"Sure," Tamira said. "Thanks." She wanted to ask him to let her go, but she was smart enough to know that was one thing he could not do. Dad will find me, she told herself. I can be brave until then. She swore to herself that she would not let her fear control her while she was in this place.

THE NEXT DAY.

JAYDEN

He looked at Tori and began explaining what she had signed up for. "Okay, so... If Kenny has gymnastics, that has to take priority. Trust me, he makes up for it when he does show up," he said.

"And make sure he's eaten before you let him train," Katie added. "If Kenny collapses on your watch, I'm coming for you."

"Got it," Tori said. "Feed the elite gymnast."

"Sage is pretty easy to work with," Jayden said.

"But she just lost her mom, so don't push her too hard," Katie cautioned.

"I know the twins are perfectly capable," Tori said.

"Thorn hasn't come to training since he lost his mother," Jayden said.

"And he doesn't really talk anymore," Katie added.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Tori said.

"I'm going to try to get him to start coming... But Caleb will be with him. He's his boyfriend, and he needs him."

"But the secret-"

"Caleb knows... I made a call for everyone's sake. You can trust him."

"Okay."

"Zeke's doing well. He might talk back a bit, but he's good when it counts," Jayden said.

"Maddie has been having some issues lately. If she tenses up, just let Zeke help her," Katie said. "She's fierce, but she went through something recently that messed her up."

"Josh is amazing," Jayden said. "He may not be as much of a fighter as the others, but the kid's a genius. He'll know your next move before you do. I couldn't catch him off-guard at all."

"If he says his dad needs him, let him go. No questions asked," Katie said.

"No questions?" Tori repeated.

"Spending time with Billy is more important than anything right now. He just got his dad back after three years of them both thinking the other was dead."

"Alright. Is there anything else?"

"No, I think that's pretty much got it. Are you ready?"

"I am. So go home, Jayden. The team is in good hands," Tori said confidently.

He nodded. He and Katie walked away, letting Tori get settled in the training area. "I'm going to miss you," Jayden said.

"It's only a week," Katie reminded him, "but I'm going to miss you, too."

Jayden wrapped her in his arms and kissed her. He hated to leave her, and he hated to leave the team, but Katie was right. He needed to relax for a little bit. He'd been way too stressed lately. Besides, Mentor Ji would appreciate him returning home for a bit to take care of the responsibilities he'd shirked while in Angel Grove. His sister Lauren could handle it all, of course, but that didn't mean the burden should be hers alone.

"I love you..." Jayden whispered before kissing her again.

"I love you, too," Katie replied after the kiss ended. She sighed. "If you don't leave now, you're not going to."

He knew she was right. He nodded. "I'll see you soon."

"Yes you will... After you've gotten some rest." She kissed him one last time. "Go on. Alpha will teleport you home."

As Jayden allowed Alpha to do that, he felt uneasy. He had a feeling something was coming, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He hoped the team would be alright without him or Katie for a bit.

He forced himself to push all of that out of his mind when he arrived at the Shiba House. "Jayden!" Mentor Ji greeted him. He pulled him into a hug. "It's about time!"

"I missed you, too, Ji," Jayden said with a laugh. He had to admit, it felt good to be home.

TAYLOR

He'd been wandering around Angel Grove, hiding from anyone who might recognize him and trying to figure out how to live his new life. Taylor didn't exactly have any money, and while he'd figured out he could make money if he used his abilities to fulfill the fantasies of strange men, he didn't really want to have to do that. He resorted to stealing food instead, figuring it was at least slightly less pathetic than selling himself would have been.

He sat down on a bench and suddenly, everything hit him. He missed his family. He was worried about his sisters, even Angeline. He had no idea if she'd made it to Kenny and Josh safely, but he hoped that she had. He was kind of lonely on his own, and he knew he couldn't survive like this forever. Stealing food would only do so much. If he lived until the winter, it would get colder, and he wasn't sure he could survive living on the street. As it was, the extreme California heat was a lot for him.

You're going to have to do it, he thought. Sex was pretty much his only skill. It wasn't as if his father had bothered training him to do anything else once he'd aged him. It wouldn't be so bad... He'd survived it when his father was using him. He could survive it now, too, if it meant he was able to get off the street.

He hated that he started to cry. Weak loser, he taunted himself. He was so hungry... He needed to eat something or he'd pass out, and he needed to feed his incubus side or he'd die.

He really hadn't intended for it to come to this, but when he saw someone from behind, he thought, Him. He's the one. He was drawn to the person's energy. Then he realized he recognized it.

Crap, he thought. It was Josh.

Josh turned around, almost like he sensed him. He paled at the sight of him. It seemed like he was debating turning around and running, but he hesitated. Finally, he walked over to him, surprising Taylor.

"Are you okay?" Josh asked.

"I'm fine," Taylor replied.

"Really? Because you appear to be crying."

Taylor turned away quickly, wiping the embarrassing tears from his eyes. "I'm allergic to assholes. Unfortunately, they're everywhere."

Josh pushed something toward him. Taylor was surprised to realize it was a tissue. He took it, wondering why the hell Josh was being so nice to him.

"I don't think you and I are as different as I originally thought," Josh said. "You've been through a lot, haven't you, Taylor?"

"Yeah... I have. But so have you," Taylor challenged him.

"You're right. I have. But how did you know that?"

"I felt it on you as soon as I touched you the night I..." Taylor paused. "Sorry."

"Are you?" Josh genuinely seemed curious, not accusatory.

"Yeah... I am. I didn't want to hurt anyone, Josh. None of us did, except Tanner. We had to do it. I was protecting my mom... And when I went after you, I was protecting my kid sister."

"I know. Angie told us everything."

Taylor breathed a sigh of relief. "She's okay?"

"Yes. Goldar tried to attack her, but we showed up and saved her. She told us the truth afterward. Tommy took her in until we can figure out something better."

"Tommy... Man, my father would hate the idea of her living with him!" Taylor paused. "Why didn't you guys destroy her?"

"Because she's innocent, in spite of what she's done. She was manipulated... And so were you."

"I made my choices."

"You had no choices. I know what that feels like, Taylor."

Taylor searched his eyes for some sign that this was a trick, but there wasn't any. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Because I know what it's like to not have anyone to take care of you... I know how it feels to have the people who are supposed to protect you turn out to be creeps who hurt you."

"Josh... You didn't deserve what I did to you. I'm sorry."

"I believe you. And you didn't deserve to be put in that situation." Josh hesitated before gently touching his arm. Taylor stared at him, not sure what to make of that. "You know, your mom and sisters think you're dead... Angie's worried about you. They all are."

"It's better they think I didn't make it. They're safer that way."

Josh looked at him sadly. "You just want to protect people, don't you?"

"Yeah... I mean, I guess. They're family. They deserve better than what he did to them."

"They love you, Taylor. You should tell them you're okay."

"I can't. If he finds me, he'll hurt them. Please don't tell them, Josh."

Josh sighed. "Okay," he said. "But you have to promise you'll stay safe. Keep in touch with me. If you need help, call me." He handed him a piece of paper with a number on it.

"Um... How?" Taylor asked.

"How?" Josh repeated.

"How do I contact you? What does this number do?"

"Oh! It's a phone number. You find a phone, and you dial the numbers, and it will connect you to me."

"Like magic?"

"Like science."

"I don't know much about science."

"I'll teach you." Josh smiled at him kindly. He then showed Taylor how to use a cell phone. "And here..." He led him to a store across the street from the park. He looked through a few things before finding what he was looking for. He brought it up to the cashier and paid for it before handing it to Taylor.

"What's this for?" Taylor asked.

"It's a cell phone. It's prepaid, so you don't have to worry about trying to find a phone you can call me from. I'll put more minutes on it as you need them."

"You shouldn't be spending money on me."

"You need help, and I have a ton of prize money from science competitions. I never use it for anything."

"Josh, I tried to rape you... I helped steal your power coin... I took complete advantage of Thorn and probably fucked him up in the head for all eternity and I stole his coin... Why the hell would you help me?"

"Because I know how it feels to be alone, Taylor... And no one should ever have to feel that."

Taylor didn't know what came over him, but he leaned over and kissed Josh. Josh immediately stiffened. Don't be scared, Taylor thought. It's just you and me... No one's going to hurt you. I won't let them. He didn't want Josh to be afraid of him. He didn't want Josh to be afraid in general. He wanted to help him, and he knew as an incubus, he could.

Josh relaxed and kissed him back. Taylor had to admit, he liked the way Josh felt. He went out of his way not to feed on his life force, refusing to cause him any more harm than he already had. When he finally pulled away, Josh stared at him.

"I... Um..." Josh stuttered.

"I'm sorry," Taylor said. "I just... I appreciate that you're trying to help me."

"It's... It's okay... I... I mean... I..."

"You liked it. I know."

Josh looked mortified. "Why did I like that? Am I... Am I gay?" He seemed terrified of the idea of that.

"You'd like it even if you're straight. I'm an incubus. Everyone likes kissing me."

"But... I... I mean... I've never really thought about it... I don't let people touch me... I... I..."

Taylor looked into his eyes. "You're okay, Josh," he said. "Just breathe."

Josh forced himself to take a deep breath. "I don't know what this means."

"Don't overthink it."

"I know you don't know me very well, but I overthink everything. I can't turn my brain off, and I'm naturally analytical, and everything has to make sense, but this doesn't..."

"Josh, relax. You're not gay."

"I'm not?"

Taylor wanted to reassure him, but honestly, he hadn't let his abilities dictate that kiss. Josh had responded on his own. He'd simply relaxed him enough that he wasn't scared for once in his life. "I don't know," Taylor admitted. "You liked kissing me. On your own... But I can tell you've always been pretty asexual, so you never really thought about it before."

"Everyone who's ever touched me did it by force..." Josh whispered.

Taylor immediately felt something unfamiliar. His heart ached for Josh. He hated to see him in pain. He touched his face gently. "I won't do that, Josh. Not ever again," he promised.

Josh took several shallow breaths that bordered on hyperventilation before he shocked Taylor by kissing him again. Taylor had never felt anything so intense before. Holy shit, he thought. The boy is hiding a lot of talent in there behind all those books and loose clothes... It was more than that, though. He wasn't just connected to Josh on a physical level. There was an emotional bond forming that he couldn't understand.

Finally, Josh pulled away. "This is insanity..." Josh mumbled.

"Insanity can be a good thing," Taylor said.

"I have to go... I'm supposed to be at training... But... Call me, Taylor, okay? If you need anything?"

"I guess."

"And maybe I'll call you... So we can... I don't know, hang out and watch a movie or something."

"Watch a movie?"

"It's how kids here entertain ourselves."

"Okay..." He was confused. Josh wanted to hang out with him? And not just to hook up? Taylor had no idea what it was like to be normal. Was this a good thing or was it some sort of cruel trap that would end up with him being slaughtered by the people he'd hurt?

Josh looked at him and said, "Okay... So I'll see you soon, I guess." With that, he walked away. Taylor was left staring after him wondering what the hell all of this meant. He desperately wished he'd aged naturally instead of being flung into his teen years right away. He literally had no idea what he was doing when it came to things like this. Josh might be severely socially awkward, but Taylor lacked social skills entirely. This was definitely going to be interesting.

JOSH

He was beyond distracted and confused when he arrived at training. The girl he knew must be Tori was standing in the middle of the training area.

"Josh, I assume?" She asked.

"Yes," Josh replied. "I apologize for being a bit late. I got sidetracked by something."

"It's fine... Just don't make a habit of it. I'm Tori. So the only one missing is Kenny, right?"

"He should be here soon," Maddie said.

"Great. I look forward to it. Let's start the fun without him." She began giving them instructions. She sparred with each of them one-on-one. Josh was surprised to see Thorn there, but he could tell Thorn was barely hanging on. Caleb kept comforting him and encouraging him.

"Sage... Very nice technique!" Tori said as Sage managed to knock her down. She looked at Josh. "Your turn, Josh."

He nodded nervously before joining her in the center of the room. As the others watched, Tori threw everything she had at him... And she had quite a lot. Josh had expected her to start off slowly. He hesitated as he tried to analyze what she was doing, but he couldn't focus. The events from earlier in the day were too strange and kept pulling his mind away.

I kissed him... And I liked it... But I can't like that... It's not okay... It means... It means Ian was right about me... He thought.

Tori seemed to sense his vulnerability. She attacked, and knocked him down. Josh hit his head hard on the ground.

"Josh!" Maddie cried out. She was the first to reach him.

"He's fine," Tori said.

"He hit his head," Zeke objected.

Tori moved to examine his head. Josh flinched, still thinking of Ian, and moved toward the wall, trying to make himself feel safer.

"Josh, stay still," she said firmly. She tried to touch him again. He was terrified.

"Back off," he heard Kenny say firmly. He hadn't even seen him come in. "He needs space."

"I need to check his head," Tori objected.

"I can do it," Sage said. She moved closer to Josh, gently approaching him. "Josh... May I?"

He hesitated. He had to focus. This was Sage. She wouldn't hurt him. He nodded slowly. It hurt.

Sage began examining his head. Finally, she put her hands on his head and closed her eyes, and suddenly, he felt better. He stared at her. "How did you do that?" He asked.

"I'm a Shaman now," Sage reminded him. "That was easy." She turned toward Tori. "Be more careful, Tori. He had a slight concussion."

"Of course. It won't happen again," Tori said.

A little while later, they sparred again. This time, Tori's attack left him gasping for air as she hit his chest. He was usually better at focusing, but it was too difficult today. "What the hell?" Zeke demanded.

"Your reflexes are much weaker than expected," Tori said critically. "You're hardly the warrior I was told to expect... I don't know what the hell Jayden saw in you... I certainly don't see anything worth celebrating."

"Hey! That was really harsh!" Maddie objected.

"Yeah, leave him alone!" Kenny added.

"He needs to focus," Tori said firmly.

"Josh is very gifted," Sage argued. "You're not fighting fair."

"Neither will the monsters."

Even Thorn looked like he was about to say something in protest, but Tori kept going before he could. "You're useless to the team like this. Get your head on straight or get out."

Josh's chest ached, and not all of it was physical. Tori was saying everything he'd always thought about himself. He was the weakest fighter in the group because he didn't like for things to get physical. He could usually guess what people were going to do next and come out on top, but he couldn't focus enough to do that. Tori was right... He was worthless.

"What gives you the right to talk to him like that?" Zeke demanded.

"Katie chose me as your trainer. I'm tough, but you'll all be a lot stronger for it," Tori said. "Again, Josh!" She attacked him before he could even fully register she was coming toward him. When he failed again, she shook her head. "You're really kind of pathetic, aren't you?"

Josh felt tears in his eyes. He tried to hide them, but he knew his friends picked up on it. That was when Thorn came over and got between him and Tori. He stared her down in silent defiance.

"Move. We're doing this until he gets it right! Jayden swore he was some epic warrior. I haven't seen any proof of that so far," Tori said. Thorn refused to move. Sage joined him. So did Zeke, Maddie, and Kenny.

"So you need your friends to fight your battles for you?" Tori demanded.

"Back off the kid!" A voice said harshly. "Seriously, Tori, what the fuck?"

"Kira?" Tori asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I want to fight the golden monkey," Kira said simply, as though this were perfectly obvious. "But I have some time to kill until he shows himself. Why the hell are you being so hard on Josh?"

"He's doing terribly. He's not the warrior Jayden claimed."

"Maybe he's having an off day. Jesus, Tori, chill. Josh is a nice kid." Kira looked at him. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine," Josh forced himself to say.

Kira frowned and pulled a chocolate bar out of her bag. "Here. You earned this. Remember, Auntie Kira loves you kids! And for you, Tori..." She pulled out a bottle of Midol. "I think you need this."

Tori glared at her. Zeke burst out laughing. Maddie struggled not to. Josh retreated into his head, unable to figure out what else to do. Tori didn't bother him for the rest of training, but she didn't seem happy about it. He tried not to focus on what she'd said, but it had hurt him deeply, and he couldn't handle that on top of his confusion over Taylor. Was he gay? Was he suffering from Stockholm Syndrome and sympathizing with the person who'd tried to hurt him? What was wrong with him? Did he actually like Taylor? Nothing made sense to him anymore, and he was too terrified to bring it up to anyone.

Thorn and Caleb won't judge you, he reminded himself. Thorn was broken, though, and Caleb was busy taking care of him. Maybe he should talk to Kenny? Kenny never judged anyone and was practically his brother, but he knew he was still trying to deal with what Tye had done to him, no matter how hard he tried to pretend he was fine. Josh couldn't put this on him without risking upsetting him. He had to deal with this on his own. Somehow, he'd figure it out.

TWO DAYS LATER.

KENNY

It was late. "We should hurry home," he said to his mother. They'd picked up some groceries and were walking back to the house. He had a bad feeling.

Suddenly, Putties attacked. "Putties at night?" His mother asked. It was deeply unusual.

"Mom! Get behind me!" Kenny said. They were surrounded.

"Relax, Kenny. I may be out of practice, but I can handle myself," she promised him. As they were attacked, Kenny watched in shock as his mother began kicking some serious Putty ass. She easily fought back, using a combination of Martial Arts and gymnastics moves, just like he did in fights. He stared at her for a minute before remembering he needed to fight, too.

They stood back-to-back and took out the last of the Putties. "Yeah!" Kenny cried in victory as the fight ended. "Wow, Mom! I had no idea you could do that!"

She smiled at him. "There's a lot about me you still don't know," she said.

"You're kind of amazing."

"So are you! I'm so proud of you, Kenny."

Suddenly, a monster appeared. Kenny was filled with terror as it approached, and he couldn't be sure why. Zords don't work at night, he thought. That wasn't the only issue. His mother might be able to handle a Putty attack, but this monster looked like he was in an entirely different category.

"What is that?" His mother asked. "Kenny, call the others."

Kenny was about to when the monster attacked. He knew he only had one option. "Pterodactyl!" He cried out. He morphed and fought back. He tried to reach his communicator, but the monster picked him up and flung him hard against the ground. It knocked Kenny out of his morph instantly.

"Kenny!" His mother screamed.

"I'm okay..." Kenny managed to say. He didn't have the strength to morph again yet.

The monster got too close to her. It looked at her and suddenly, his mother froze in horror. "Mark?" She asked, looking into its eyes. "Oh my God..."

"Yes, Kimberly. It's me," he said with a laugh.

Kenny thought he must be hallucinating. There was no way this monster was his father... That was impossible. He had horns. His father didn't have horns, even if he was the Devil incarnate.

"What have they done to you?" His mother asked.

"My Mistress made me stronger... Unstoppable." He laughed. "My back is healed! I have no weaknesses!"

"Mark... I'm so sorry... Let me help you," his mother pled.

"Help me? I don't need your help!" He struck her, sending her backward hard.

Kenny somehow found a way to stand up. He raced toward his mother. "Leave her alone!" He shouted.

"Stay out of this!" The monster who'd once been his father bellowed. He swatted him away like he was an insect. Kenny felt pain shooting through his body, but he ignored it, desperate to save his mother.

"Kenny, run!" His mother begged him.

The monster pinned her against a tree. "You belong to me, Kimberly!" He shouted.

"I don't belong to anyone," she said firmly.

"You stupid piece of trash!" He slapped her. Then he tried to pull her shirt up. Kenny had seen enough.

"Get away from her, you son of a bitch!" He shouted. He attacked, not caring that he wasn't protected by a morph. He had to stop him. He had to save her.

"Enough!" The monster shouted. He picked Kenny up by his throat. "I'm not going to be the broken one in the family anymore!" He said before flinging Kenny full-force into a tree several feet away.

Kenny had never felt anything like that before. His body seemed to break in half. He couldn't move. He could barely think because of the pain. He knew he'd broken something in his back. He tried not to think about that and what it meant for him. Right now, the only thing that mattered was saving his mother.

With the last bit of focus he had left, Kenny finally managed to use his communicator. "Alpha... Zordon... Help..." He said. That was all he could get out. The pain was too severe. He couldn't breathe. He stared at his parents and knew that this was the end.

BILLY

He was in the Command Center when the distress call came in. "Alpha... Zordon... Help..." Kenny said desperately.

"Alpha, pull up Kenny's location," Billy said urgently.

Alpha did. "Aye-yi-yi! A monster has attacked Kenny and Kimberly!" Alpha said with alarm.

It was Zordon who delivered the worst of the news. "That is not just any monster, Alpha... That is Kimberly's husband."

"The monster is Mark?" Billy asked in horror.

"Yes, Billy. Merkhet has transformed him into a minotaur and tasked him with killing his family. We must call the Rangers-"

"No," Billy said. He walked down the hall and into the weapons room. He could have picked up any of them, but he went for the one that felt right... The sword. "This is too dangerous for the kids. Let me handle it."

"Billy, with your... situation..." Zordon began.

"Merkhet programmed me to kill," Billy said harshly. "Let's see what I've learned." He turned to Alpha. "Send me there. Now."

Moments later, he arrived. Mark had Kimberly up in the air. Her back was pressed against a tree and he had his hands around her throat.

"Mark... Please..." Kimberly begged, barely able to get the words out. "Please don't..."

Mark responded by choking her tighter. Kimberly couldn't breathe. He was going to kill her. Billy had to act. He tried to shove the sword straight through Mark's side, but Mark barely noticed, and the sword somehow missed.

"Impossible..." Billy mumbled.

"Billy, get Kenny out of here," Kimberly begged. Mark had loosened his grip, but her voice was scratchy. He'd done damage to her throat. "Please... Please save my son..."

Billy knew that wouldn't be enough. He looked at the monster. "Mark... I've wanted to hurt you for a long time," he admitted.

"Mark no longer exists," Mark replied. "I am Achilles!" He squeezed Kimberly's throat harder again, lifting her higher.

Achilles, Billy thought. That's why the sword missed... He's invincible... Except for one weak spot... His heel? Like the myth? No. That's too obvious. Merkhet would pick something meaningful, something ironic that suited his personality... Suddenly, he knew. Mark's biggest weakness had always been his over-inflated ego. His Achilles heel was his head.

Before he could stop to rethink his decision, Billy picked up the sword and swung it at Mark's neck. It cut clean through and his head came off easily. Kimberly screamed as his corpse lost its grip on her and she fell to the ground. Mark's head hit the grass, bounced, and landed at her feet as she collapsed onto her hand and knees, gasping for breath and clutching her throat. It was already bruising severely.

"Kimberly... Are you alright?" He asked. He looked at her wound with concern and anger, but none of the crazed rage he'd felt since he'd been back. He was perfectly sane.

"I'll be fine..." She said as she coughed. "Kenny... We... have to get... to Kenny..."

Billy helped her stand up and they rushed to Kenny's side. He was motionless and crying. "Kenny..." Billy whispered. He could tell how badly his Godson had been injured.

"He needs... A hospital..."

"We can't move him. We'd risk paralyzing him."

"I have to go..." Kenny said. "I have to go train..."

"Kenny-" Kimberly said.

"He's in shock," Billy realized. "This is bad, Kim. We have to call an ambulance." He wrapped his jacket around Kenny to keep him warm. It was hot out, but Kenny was still trembling.

Suddenly, Angie appeared. "Kenny!" She cried. She ran to his side, kneeling. "I can help him," she said.

"Are you sure?" Kimberly asked.

"Yes. I'd have been here sooner, but Merkhet was about to try to bring Achilles back and make him grow... I made sure she couldn't with a counter spell. He won't be back... Are you okay, Kimberly?"

"I'll heal... Please help Kenny."

Angie turned to him and set to work. Kimberly began crying as everything finally hit her. Billy wrapped his arms around her. "You're okay," he said. "It's over. He can't hurt you anymore."

"Thank you..." She whispered.

"No thanks necessary."

Kenny suddenly began to move. "Slowly," Angie cautioned. "You're still hurt." She continued healing him.

Kimberly looked at Billy. "Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine. Genuinely," Billy said. "I've wanted to help you for so long, Kimberly... To save you from that monster... And now, I finally have."

"You slayed my monster," she said with a sad smile. Then she surprised him as she kissed him. It was quick and chaste, but for just a moment, their lips met and Billy couldn't begin to explain what it did to him. The only thing he knew was that he was alive, and for the first time in three years, he actually felt it.

As Kenny sat up fully, he turned to Kimberly. "Mom! Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm okay, sweetheart," Kimberly promised him. She wrapped him in her arms.

Kenny started to cry slightly. "My back... It was broken, wasn't it?" He asked.

"It was," Angie confirmed. "But I fixed it. You're fully healed..."

"My gymnastics career would have been over..." He whispered. "I would have lost everything."

"But you didn't," Kimberly said. "You're okay. We both are."

"Your voice sounds awful... He hurt you."

"I'll heal."

"I could-" Angie began.

"No way. You look like you're about to collapse. You need rest. Thank you so much for saving my son."

"Of course... Kenny, you need rest, too. The spell will leave you exhausted until you've gotten a good night's sleep. Let me help you?"

"Okay," Kenny said reluctantly.

They headed home without another word. Once there, the kids went up to Kenny's room. Tommy stared at Billy and Kimberly, clearly knowing something had happened. "What's going on?" He asked.

"Merkhet turned Mark into a minotaur and he attacked us," Kimberly said bluntly.

Tommy looked ready to kill. "What?" He demanded.

"But it's okay, because Billy saved us."

"Billy saved you?" Tommy repeated.

"Mark's dead," Billy said. "I unburdened his neck from the tiring task of holding up that inflated head of his."

Tommy's eyes went wide with shock. "Are you serious?"

"I am. It was pretty liberating, actually. I finally feel like myself... I'm tired. I think I'll head to bed now."

"Me, too," Kimberly said. She followed him before Tommy could object or ask any more questions.

When they were finally in the bedroom, he pulled Kimberly close to him. Then he did the unthinkable and kissed her. Kimberly didn't object. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. When they finally broke the kiss, she looked at him and said, "I told you that you were my hero."

He blushed. "Goodnight, Kimberly," he said. He got into bed, not bothering to change because he was too exhausted. She followed suit, resting her head on his chest as he held her. They drifted off to sleep. For the first time since he'd been rescued, Billy didn't have any nightmares.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

KATIE

She was not exactly pleased when Zeke called her communicator to tell her what had been going on. Katie had trusted Tori! What the hell was her problem, and why had she zeroed in on Josh? With no idea what else to do, she contacted Tori's teammates.

"Listen, I asked Tori to do me a favor and help my team train," Katie said to Cam. "She went nuts. She's been straight-up abusive to Josh, who has enough issues as it is. What the fuck is her problem?"

"That's not like Tori," Cam said with concern. "She's normally very good as a trainer. The students love her."

"Yeah, well, my team hates her. I need her replaced, and I'm about to go back to Earth just to kick her ass."

"I'll bring the team to Angel Grove. We'll figure out what's going on with her."

"Good. Can I talk to Dustin?"

Cam passed the phone along. "Sup?" Dustin greeted Katie.

"What's up is your buddy's a bitch," Katie said. "I need a new trainer for my team. You're supposed to be the epitome of mellow and laid-back. Can you help them without abusing any of them?"

"Uh, sure... I can do that," Dustin replied cheerfully. He had such an easy way about him that Katie relaxed a bit just talking to him.

"Thank you... I feel terrible about this. I was trying to look out for them and I screwed them. I wasn't even there to see it. Our Red Ranger finally called my communicator to tell me what was going on."

"So where are you?"

"KO35. I'm helping Andros with something, and it's taking a little longer than I expected, but I should be back home in a few days. I'm also training with a new toy..." She smiled. Katie had convinced her father to give her a weapon of his from a team other than the Mighty Morphin one... His Brachio Staff from his time leading Kira's team. As a little girl, she'd frequently grabbed it and run off on him, especially while he was stuck in his morphed form for a while and couldn't go outside on their block because she knew he wouldn't be able to chase her. Tiny Katie had been a tiny terror and she'd gleefully turned the knobs on the staff as she figured out she could make the earth shake. She'd also set her father's butt on fire once. She laughed at the memory.

"Awesome. You keep doing You, Katie. Let me worry about your team. They're in good hands now."

Katie believed him. Still, she went over everything he needed to know. Since half of the team was mid-nervous breakdown, she made sure he knew exactly what each one of them would need, and how to handle emergencies. Dustin listened and promised her he'd take care of them.

Satisfied that the team was safe, Katie hung up and went back to training with the Brachio Staff. It had a lot more features than she'd realized at three years old, and she had mastered most of them, but she was determined to perfect it before she used it in battle. KO35 had some good places to train where no one else was around to be affected by random earthquakes or sudden fires. Katie recalled keeping her mother away from her by causing the earth to shake.

I wonder if she was evil then, too, Katie thought. She'd never been close to her mother, and now she suspected it was because on some level, she'd always known what that bitch really was. She pushed the thought out of her mind so she could focus on training. She had to get this right so she could get home to her team.

TORI

She was mildly surprised when her entire team showed up in Angel Grove. "Um... Hi, guys... Is something wrong?" Tori asked.

"From what we hear, yes," Cam said. "How are you feeling, Tori?"

"I'm fine. Super, actually." She had to remain calm. She had to protect the truth. Her Mistress would be most displeased if she didn't.

"Then why are you picking on the kids?" Shane demanded.

"I'm not. I'm just whipping them into shape."

"From what I hear, you're being downright cruel to Josh... Hurting him, even," Dustin said gently. "That's not like you, Tori."

"Josh isn't up to par with the rest of his team." Josh must be destroyed in every way. Emotionally, physically... The boy must be broken entirely, Merkhet's voice repeated in her head. That was her mission. It had been since shortly after she had arrived in town.

"That doesn't mean you should be singling him out," Hunter said.

"Or hurting the kid," Blake added.

"It's not my fault he can't keep up or focus," Tori said.

"Tori... You're not acting like yourself," Cam said firmly. "Let us help you."

"Help me? Is this an intervention? I'm fine! I'm just doing my job."

"Tori-" Dustin said, trying to touch her arm.

Tori pulled away violently. That was when Shane grabbed her. Tori attacked him, to the shock of everyone else. She had him on his back in seconds, and she didn't stop there. She was filled with the need to hurt someone. She must destroy them all or risk them getting in the way of her completing her mission!

"Tori! Tori, stop!" Cam cried.

It was Dustin who pulled Tori off of Shane. She punched him in the face and tried to attack him. Blake and Hunter grabbed her and Shane knocked her out, but not before she heard Dustin mumble, "Yeah, she's definitely not herself..."

SAGE

She was beyond frustrated. Her team was falling apart, her cousin was on another planet, her mother was dead, and her brother was refusing to speak to anyone. Even their twin telepathy only went so far because most of the time, Thorn just spent his time crying. That was why, when her father asked if she was okay, she finally snapped.

"No, I'm not," Sage replied. She could feel her emotions ready to burst. "I'm not okay, Dad! My mother is dead and my brother is so broken, he won't even talk to me!"

"Thorn's trying, Sage," her dad said gently. "It's hard for him."

"It's hard for me, too!"

"I know that, Baby. Of course it is."

"You don't get it! He acts like he's the only one who lost her! I lost Mom, too!"

Her dad hugged her. "I know, Sagey. We all lost her... I know how close you were to her... But Thorn blames himself. He got it in his head that she died because of him."

"She didn't! She died because of me!"

"What? Sagey, that's not true, Baby."

"Yes it is! I'm the one who pissed off a God of the Underworld. I'm the one who ran. I'm the one who... Who..." She shook her head. "I stole Caleb from him... I brought him back when I wasn't supposed to. Troy warned me not to, that it was dangerous, that some people are meant to stay dead... But I had to, Dad. I couldn't just leave my brother broken, so I brought Caleb back, and... And the God told me it was a life for a life... But then I escaped from him, too. That's why he took Mom. I know it is."

"Oh, Sage... Honey, have you been feeling this way the entire time?"

"I know the truth, Dad. I killed Mom. And I'm so sorry, because I know how much losing her broke you..." Sage shook her head.

"Don't apologize. You saved a boy's life, Sage. You did the right thing."

"I love Caleb. He's family... And I did it for Thorn, but that idiot is so stubborn he wants to blame himself and shut me out! He won't even talk to me, Dad!"

Her father held her as she ranted, until she'd let it all out. "I don't blame you for this, Sage," he promised. "And she wouldn't want you to blame yourself. At the end of the day, your mom made her choice. She knew the consequences."

Sage felt slightly better having let that all out, but she was still upset. "I'm just going to go for a walk, Dad. I love you." She walked away before he could stop her. She needed space.

THORN

He'd heard the entire conversation. Thorn sat in tears as he struggled to figure out what to do. I have to talk to her, he thought. I'm going to lose my sister. I can't let that happen.

Everything was a struggle. He hurt all the time. He missed his mother so much, he couldn't breathe, but he knew Sage was right. She'd lost her, too, and he'd been so shattered by his own guilt, he hadn't been there for her.

"I'll do better," he said aloud. "I'll talk to her." His throat hurt. He didn't care. He had to tell her he was sorry. He had to be a better brother. Sage was his twin, and she needed him. She'd literally risked everything to give him back his boyfriend, and instead of being happy, he'd given in to the unfamiliar sense of rage and, later, the overwhelming depression and emptiness he felt.

Thorn began to think of things to say to her. There were no words to express what he needed to, but he would try. He took several deep breaths before taking a shower. He would get dressed and go to training and work on talking to her until she forgave him for his stupidity and extreme state of Emo. It's not emo when you actually have a reason, he reminded himself. Maybe he needed to talk to someone. He couldn't tell a professional everything because of the secret of the Power Rangers, but he could tell them about his grief. It might help. He had to pull himself out of this black hole of depression.

He did something he hadn't done in forever and instead of texting Caleb, he called him. "Thorn? Is everything okay?" Caleb answered.

"I have training in a little bit," Thorn said calmly. "Can you come over before? I need to see you."

"Of course. I'll be right there."

Thorn relaxed. He would start talking to Caleb more. He would try to talk to everyone else, too. He was depressed, but he was alive. He needed to start acting like it.

DUSTIN

He was not a conventional teacher at all. Dustin had decided it was a good idea to run things completely different from Tori. He'd set up the usual training stations as well as some of his own, including a Food Station. Since Kenny apparently didn't eat much and since training always made Dustin hungry, he figured the kids might appreciate some munchies.

He hadn't expected the first person to show up to be Kira. Dustin hadn't seen her in a long time. They'd teamed up once when her team was active and he'd thought she was pretty cool, but they hadn't really talked much since except for the occasional message sent to each other through Tori.

"Hey there, Stranger," Kira greeted him.

"Kira! How are you?" Dustin asked, giving her a hug.

"I'm good... Biding my time until I can find the Golden Monkey."

"That sounds like a noble task."

"Want to fight him with me when I find him?"

"Well, duh! Who wouldn't want to fight a golden monkey?"

"I know, right?" She laughed. "I'm here to make sure you don't pull the same shit Tori was pulling on the kids... And if you say one wrong thing to Josh, Katie has given me instructions to kick your ass."

"That won't be an issue." He smiled at her.

"I like the setup... Oooh, food! I'm starving!"

"There's plenty for everyone. Go on and eat some."

"Cool, thanks."

Kira was munching away as the kids arrived. Dustin greeted them. "Welcome to training!" He said. "I'm Dustin, from a little team called the Ninja Storm Rangers, specifically the Yellow Wind Ranger. I'll be taking over your training."

"Where's Tori?" Maddie asked.

"Tori had to be sent home... She came down with a serious case of Bitchiness."

Kira snorted. Zeke cracked up. "That's an understatement," Kenny said. Dustin was pleased to see he was on time.

Dustin noticed Josh was trying to make himself very small and unnoticeable and wouldn't look at him. "Josh?" He called.

"Yes?" Josh replied softly.

"Don't worry. Tori was under some sort of mind control. I think it broke when Shane sort of gave her a head injury, but we still sent her home just in case. I'm not going to do what she did. It's all me in here." He tapped his head. "You'll find I run things differently. In fact, I'm going to start today's training off by introducing my favorite station ever... The food station! Please, help yourselves at any point during training."

"Food station? You just blew Tori and Jayden out of the water!" Zeke declared. "I say you stay on as our trainer forever, Dude."

Dustin smiled. "I'll stay as long as I'm needed. So, show me what you guys have got!"

He observed them as they worked at the various stations. Maddie was totally on fire. Sage was skilled and polished and she seemed happy to help the others. It was clear she was one of the team's leaders. Thorn appeared to be distracted as he kept trying to get his sister to talk to him, which confused Dustin because he'd been told Thorn was basically mute, but he took it as a good sign. Zeke was quick and seemed to be enjoying the new, relaxed setting. Kenny was ridiculously agile and he took instruction very well. Josh was a bit unfocused, but Dustin was able to get him to pay attention by gently nudging him, and he did very well. He could see why Jayden had apparently raved about him, because once he focused, Dustin couldn't catch the kid off guard at all.

After the session, the kids were all excited and bouncing off the walls. They thanked him and when they finally left, only Kira stayed behind. "Nice work," she said.

"Thanks," Dustin replied. "That was fun."

"Do you want to walk me back to my hotel? We could watch bad movies on my Netflix account and order more food."

"That sounds awesome," Dustin said. He'd missed Kira. The idea of spending time with her didn't bother him at all, and she was offering two of his favorite things. He took her arm and said, "Lead the way."

THE NEXT DAY.

MADDIE

Something was wrong. Maddie felt herself walking somewhere, but she had no idea where she was going. She didn't figure it out until she sensed a strange energy in front of her.

"A portal?" She asked aloud.

Step through, her mind instructed her. Maddie knew that was a bad idea, but she couldn't resist the pull of the portal.

"Maddie?" Zeke called.

She jumped at the sound of his voice. Ignore the boy. Step through, her mind instructed her. "The boy?" She asked aloud. She looked at Zeke. "I think someone's in my head," she said.

Zeke was about to grab her when an arm reached through the portal and did it instead. She screamed. "Maddie!" Zeke shouted. He reacted quickly, hitting the arm with exactly enough force to make it release Maddie. Zeke pulled her into his arms. "I've got you," he promised.

Suddenly, the arm came closer, and the upper body of someone Maddie recognized appeared. "No..." She whispered.

"What is it?" Zeke asked.

"Oh, Maddie... The one that got away... Let's finish what we started," the guy who'd nearly raped her said. Maddie couldn't move. Suddenly, all of the fear she'd started to work through was back.

"Stay the fuck away from her!" Zeke cried out. He jumped in front of Maddie, clearly ready to slaughter this guy if he tried anything.

The guy grabbed Zeke's arm. "Well... What do we have here?" He asked with interest. "Such a dark secret, Red Ranger... Why don't I just leave you to your memories?" He laughed, then released Zeke, who fell to the ground and began trembling violently.

"Zeke!" Maddie shouted. She forced herself to stop being afraid to try to get to him.

"Sorry, Maddie. That's not the plan," her attacker said. He managed to grab her and pull her through the portal. She stared through it as Zeke lay on the ground, trapped in some sort of nightmare and crying.

Zeke... She thought, her heart breaking. What would happen to him now? On a similar note, what would happen to her?

Maddie looked around. They were in some sort of bedroom. "This is the prison realm your mother and her friends locked my father up in," her attacker said.

Tanner, she reminded herself. His name is Tanner, and he's a monster...

"Now, my loser little brother saw to it that I'm trapped here right along with my father and step-mother, but there are just enough cracks in the prison for me to get part of myself out," Tanner explained.

He had her cornered. He began touching her, and Maddie knew there was no escaping this time. She did the only thing she could think of. She was just close enough to the portal's entrance that it might work. Maddie began typing on her phone behind her back, praying it would make sense. She was good at texting without looking at the letters, but her hands were currently trembling. She hit send and hoped against hope that she would make it out of this unharmed.

JASON

He looked at his phone as a text message came through. HE FOUND ME. PRISON REALM. HELP.

Jason stared at the text for a moment. Somehow, he knew what it meant. He called Billy, who he knew was in the Command Center. "That bastard has my daughter," he said. "I need Alpha to teleport me to the prison realm."

Billy didn't try to argue, but brought him to the Command Center first. "Do you have a plan?" Billy asked.

"Yeah," Jason said, pulling out a handgun. "Don't miss." He was an excellent shot. He might not be an active Power Ranger anymore, but Jason could still protect his daughter.

As soon as he arrived in the prison realm, he saw Maddie. The bastard had his hands all over her as he restrained her and Maddie struggled to free herself. Jason held the gun steadily as he took in the details. Shooting him meant he was risking hitting Maddie, but he was fairly certain he could do it without harming her if he was careful.

"A gun?" The bastard asked with a laugh. "You think a gun can stop me?"

"No," Jason said. Then he fired as he added, "But I bet it'll hurt like hell."

The bastard let out a cry of pain and released Maddie. Jason grabbed her and said, "Now, Alpha!" They were teleported to safety.

Maddie began crying. "Thank you..." She whispered.

"Are you alright?" Jason asked.

"I think so..." She proceeded to pass out in his arms, and Jason knew she'd barely hung on long enough for him to reach her. He carried her to safety, determined not to let anyone else hurt her ever again.

ZEKE

He'd been stuck in his own memories for too long. He finally awoke, trembling and terrified. He'd blocked so much of it out... He had to. It was the only way to live a normal life. The things he'd kept hidden beneath smiles, sarcasm, and snark were too much for anyone to deal with.

The last thing he'd expected was for his nightmare to still be going on while he was awake. The woman standing before him smiled. "Mom?" He asked in shock.

"Hello, Zeke," she replied.

"What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you."

Zeke felt a familiar pang in his heart. "You... You want to see me?" He asked, feeling like a ten year old again. He was so vulnerable, so desperate for his mother to love him that he'd literally do anything she asked.

She took him somewhere. Zeke didn't stop her, even when she made it clear she was only after one thing. The only time his mother had ever paid attention to him was to use him. Why should that have changed? Zeke felt tears rolling down his cheeks.

She'll never love me, he realized. No matter how much I do what she wants... This is all she thinks I'm good for.

He'd never told anyone about his mother's sick perversions. He didn't understand it was wrong at first, and then he was just so desperate to make her love him, he had let it continue. It had only gone on for a year before she up and left. He was ten, confused, abandoned, and afraid his dad would get angry at him, so he didn't tell him what she'd been doing to him.

Things got worse before they got better. Zeke shut down. Eventually, she left him there, broken and terrified. He didn't know how long he stayed there, refusing to move. He knew he needed to get out of there, but how? He was hurt in ways he couldn't even begin to process. He forced himself to stand up. As he tried to find a way out, he spotted a little girl. She looked at him with scared eyes and Zeke realized she was naked.

After finding a t-shirt for the kid that fit her like a dress, he picked her up, determined not to leave her with the monsters in that house. "Mommy won't want me to go," she said.

He looked at her. "Is your mommy named Tracie?" He asked. She nodded. "She's my mommy, too. It's okay. You can trust me. I'm your brother... My name's Zeke. What's yours?"

She shrugged. "I don't have one," she said.

He was horrified. Had this girl been even more abused than he was? He looked at her and knew he had to save her. He put his own trauma aside and carried her out of the house. Not sure where they were, he held her tight and teleported home. Sure, that was against the Power Ranger rules, but he saw no other option.

Once there, he heated up leftover pizza for the obviously starving kid. Then he called his dad. "Hey, Zeke. What's up?" He asked.

"Dad..." Zeke was suddenly overwhelmed again. "Dad... Can you come home?" He got out before he became hysterical.

"What happened? Zeke? Zeke, answer me!"

"She only wants one thing from me...She'll never love me..." Zeke sobbed.

"Zeke, please, tell me what's going on."

"Mom... I saw Mom."

"What the hell did she do?"

"Daddy..." Zeke sobbed again.

"I'm on my way. It's okay, Zeke. Everything will be okay." He could hear the fear in his father's voice.

"She has another kid," Zeke managed to say. "I took her with me... They did things to her... I couldn't leave her... Dad, I think she might be yours."

His father took a deep breath. "I'll call Billy. He can test the DNA, and if she is mine, we'll go from there."

"She... She didn't have any clothes, Dad... I have her in a huge t-shirt so she's at least covered."

His father cursed. "I'll have Billy bring Kim. She can pick up some clothes for the kid."

Zeke tried to stay calm as he waited for his father. The kid liked the pizza, so he heated up more for her. He watched her drink her juice and she smiled at him. The kid was pretty cute. He somehow managed to smile back.

That's it, he thought. Smile. Laugh. Be Zeke. You're fine if you can fake it...

The doorbell rang a bit later. Zeke jumped and refused to open the door. He stayed close to the kid, determined to protect her as she watched the Disney Channel.

"Zeke... Open up. It's Billy," Billy called. "And Kimberly."

Zeke couldn't bring himself to move. Luckily, his dad showed up and unlocked the door. Kimberly's face lit up at the sight of the kid. "Hi, sweetheart!" She said warmly. "I'm Kimberly. What's your name?"

"I don't know," the kid replied.

Kimberly managed to keep the surprise off of her face. "I have some clothes for you. Why don't we go upstairs and you can try them on."

"Okay!" The kid readily took Kimberly's hand, too innocent to fear strangers in spite of her trauma. Billy excused himself to set up his equipment.

"Okay, Zeke. Talk to me," his dad said.

"Dad... There's something I never told you..." Zeke began. Everything spilled out of him quickly. His father tensed up and was clearly furious. Finally, Zeke sobbed out, "I'm sorry I never told you... I was scared you'd hate me! "

His dad looked at him with surprise. "Why would I hate you?"

"Because I'm disgusting! I let her do that to me... I just went along with it... Because it's the only way she'd pay attention to me, and she told me if I was good, she'd love me... But she never will..."

"Zeke..." His father shook his head. "None of this is your fault. At all. Do you understand me? I love you. Nothing's ever going to change that." He looked like he was struggling not to cry. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea she hurt you... I never thought she could be capable of something like that... But I swear to God, I'm going to make her pay for this."

"If Katie finds out, you won't get the chance."

"Katie does seem to be the go-to person for handling bad parents."

"Including her own."

"You'll be okay, Zeke. I'll make sure that bitch rots in prison."

Billy came back in and paused. "Is everything alright?" He asked.

"Yeah," Zeke's father lied. "So, test me, and maybe test Zeke, too. That way we can prove if she's mine or just Tracie's... Either way, if we can prove she's Zeke's sister, they may let her stay here with us."

Billy took the samples he needed. When Kimberly returned with the kid, he took one from her, too. He walked away to test it.

The kid curled up on the couch with Kimberly, perfectly content to watch TV while she held her. Zeke suspected she'd never had anyone snuggle her before.

"Dad... I think I'm hurt," Zeke said. "I think I'm bleeding." Too much had happened. His mother hadn't been the only one to hurt him. That had been what pushed him over the edge, but he couldn't say that. He was too ashamed.

His father looked appropriately alarmed. "We need to get you both checked out... Especially if we're going to try to prove she hurt you," he said. "They can fix whatever's bleeding, and... And examine you for evidence of..." His father couldn't say it.

"Of sex." Zeke finished for him.

"Of assault. Of a crime, Zeke."

He knew he had to do it, but Zeke was terrified of the idea of anyone touching him, even a doctor. Take a shower, hook up with some random girl, forget... Forget this ever happened, he thought. He had actually started doing that at ten years old, and it soothed him. After his mother left, it was part of his attempt to connect with someone. Zeke had been a charming kid. He could easily convince girls he was a teenager, not a child. Forget... He thought. God, please forget...

The only problem was, he'd told his dad. There was no way to pretend it had never happened now. His chest felt tight. He might have started panicking, but he blacked out instead.

ROCKY

As he carried Zeke to the car, Billy rushed outside. "I have the results," he said.

"And?" Rocky asked.

"She's not your daughter, Rocky... But you are related to her."

"Wait... What?"

"You tested positive, but not as her father... Most likely, it was a grandparent match... I'm sorry, Rocky. There's no gentle way to say this. That little girl is Zeke's."

Rocky felt everything shift. He had to steady himself. "That evil bitch... I'll kill her for this."

"Did you know?"

"That my ex is a pedophile? Not until I got home today. Zeke told me... But I hadn't considered..." He shook his head. "Zeke was only ten when she left."

"I'm so sorry, Rocky. It's the worst thing in the world for a parent to find out that somebody hurt their kid."

"I have to drive them to the hospital. Zeke's hurt... He collapsed."

"Go. I'll find a way to make the results official and send them to you."

Rocky was overwhelmed. What would happen now? How could he tell his sixteen-year-old son that he had a five-year-old kid who also happened to be his sister? Zeke wasn't ready for that, but was it really right to keep the truth from him?

When they got to the hospital and Rocky was questioned, he explained things honestly. "My ex-wife kidnapped my son. She sexually assaulted him, and I want it documented so she never gets out of jail. The little girl isn't mine... My son found and rescued her. She's been severely abused. I have reason to believe she's related to me as well, and I want to take custody of her. I'm waiting on DNA results to be sent here." He paused.

"We will examine the children, and the police will be called. I promise we will do everything in our power to help them prosecute your ex," a doctor said.

Zeke had come around again. He let the doctors do what they had to. Rocky didn't leave his side. Kimberly stayed with the kid. Numbly, Zeke stared off into space, obviously trying to keep himself calm. Rocky hated seeing his son so broken.

I should have known, he thought. How did I not realize she was hurting him?

It didn't matter now. The only thing he could do was be here for him and help him get through this.

When everything was done, the hospital received official DNA results from the school Tommy was associated with. Tommy had obviously stepped in to cover up the fact that a supposedly dead man had conducted the test.

After hours spent talking to a social worker while Zeke spoke with another one in private, they finally decided Rocky could bring the girl home for the time being until a custody hearing could take place. The social workers agreed it was best not to tell Zeke the truth about who her father was until he had time to process what had happened to him.

Rocky sent Kimberly home. She promised to return with more clothes and other essentials for the kid in the morning. Finally, Rocky loaded both kids into his car and drove them home. The little one passed out on the way. Zeke made small talk and was his usual sarcastic self again, but Rocky was worried. He knew his son was in pain, but Zeke seemed to want to pretend nothing had happened. Rocky figured he could let him do that for the night, but he knew it couldn't be allowed to go on for much longer. If Zeke was going to heal from this, he was going to need help.

ZEKE

After eating the dinner his father had put in front of him, Zeke excused himself to go to his room. He said goodnight to the kid, who his dad was putting in what had briefly been Kat's room because that was the only empty room they had. Sure, his dad's blood no longer stained the wall and floor outside of the room, but Zeke still hated it.

He took a shower, desperate to finally wash away the filth that was all over him. He scrubbed his body until it hurt, and he kept going. He finally broke down and cried, alone in the shower, where no one could see him.

Zeke envied his friends. Josh was obviously a hot mess and he couldn't hide it. PTSD made keeping his issues a secret impossible, so he didn't bother to try most of the time. Thorn had broken so thoroughly and so publicly that no one expected him to smile and fake it. Thorn had always been able to wear his heart on his sleeve. It was easy for him to let all of his grief and anger boil to the surface. Zeke couldn't do that. Zeke always laughed and smiled and hid his truth from the world because that was what people expected from him.

Now, Zeke couldn't think of anything but how much of a mess his life had become. One visit from his mother and he was completely and totally defeated.

He sat on his bed and looked at the bottle of Adderall in his room. His mother had been the one who insisted he needed to be medicated for his severe ADHD. His medication did help sometimes, so maybe that had been the one good decision she'd made as a parent, but now, it only served to remind him of her.

He kept staring at it, positive it sat there mocking him. Finally, he walked out to the kitchen. Calmly, Zeke poured himself a glass of water.

"Are you okay, Zeke?" His dad asked.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Zeke said. He was about to walk away before he paused. "I love you, Dad," he said. "You know that, right?"

"Of course I do," his father said. "I love you, too."

Zeke gave his father a hug before calmly walking back to his room. Once there, he sat on the bed with his glass of water. He took a sip before reaching for the Adderall. He poured the pills into his hand. He had three weeks of pills left. That should definitely do the trick. Zeke closed his eyes and took a deep breath before shoving all twenty-one pills into his mouth. He brought the cup of water to his lips, laying the empty pill bottle beside him on the bed.

His door swung open and his dad looked at him. His eyes fell on the bottle. "Zeke, what are you doing?" He demanded. His dad grabbed him and dragged him to his bathroom. "Spit those out! Come on, Zeke, open your mouth!"

Zeke wanted to refuse, but he was too tired. He just wanted to sleep.

His father got him to spit out the pills in the toilet. Zeke hadn't swallowed any, but he felt sick, so he threw up anyway. He started crying, unable to stop.

"I'm sorry..." He whispered.

"Zeke... You can't do that, Zeke. You can't leave me, okay?" His dad was crying now, too, as he held him. "It's going to be okay," he promised. "You're going to be okay."

Zeke finally passed out with his dad still holding him. He woke up a while later with Adam watching over him.

"Adam?" He asked in confusion.

"Hey, Zeke," Adam said gently. "Your dad called and asked if I would mind coming by." He paused. "I sent him to get some rest. I'm here for you, Zeke. You can talk to me."

Zeke didn't want to talk. He wanted to make everything stop. He wanted to die, but he couldn't tell Adam that. It would upset him, and he'd try to stop him. Zeke was worthless. He remembered that now. His mother had always made damn sure he knew how useless he was, how his existence was an inconvenience to her, how he got in the way of her dreams. He was nothing. He was disgusting and pathetic, and he sure as hell wasn't a hero. Who did he think he was fooling, playing Power Ranger? He didn't deserve to have that job. He was a joke. He was a Red Ranger who'd never be good enough to be the leader, so what did that make him really?

Adam had turned around for a second to move something. Zeke pulled a knife out from under his bed. He kept it there in case of an emergency, a small comfort that stemmed from the nights when sleeping hadn't been safe. He never used it on his mother, but having it still made him feel safer. He held it now, wondering how fast he could make himself bleed out and if there was any way to do it before Adam caught him.

"Zeke!" Adam cried out. He made it across the room impossibly fast and pulled the knife out of Zeke's hands before wrapping his arms and body around him in a way that made it impossible for Zeke to escape.

"Let me go!" Zeke screamed.

"Zeke, stop... Stop. Just breathe," Adam said urgently.

"Let me go!" Zeke screamed again. "Let me go! Let me die!"

"I can't do that," Adam said firmly. He tightened his grip as Zeke continued to struggle against him.

"Let me die..." Zeke said, softer, as he started to cry. "Please... Please, Adam... Just let me die..."

Adam loosened his grip slightly to avoid hurting him. "Shhhh..." He whispered. "It's okay, Zeke... Let it out. You're going to be okay."

Adam finally shifted so Zeke was free to move. Zeke cried in his arms, far too exhausted to do anything else. He was shaking violently. His throat hurt from screaming and crying. He couldn't look at Adam as he whispered, "Please..."

He felt Adam stroke his hair. "You will survive this, Zeke. We're going to get you some help," he promised.

Zeke was fairly certain there was nothing in this world that could possibly help him.

SAGE  
She had decided avoiding Thorn was karmatic. Sage intended to talk to him eventually, but she was going to make him work for it. She needed time, and he would just have to deal with that. She was spending time with her son instead.

Her phone rang and Sage saw that it was her father. "Hello?" She answered.

"Sage... Troy needs to step up for a while as the Red Ranger," her father said.

"What? Why? What's going on?"

"Zeke's... He's not okay, Sage. He needs some time. He's not going to training, and he's not going to be able to help the team for a bit."

"Dad, what happened?"

He sighed. "You know I left the house last night, right?"

"Yeah... Why?"

"I stayed with Zeke so Rocky could get some rest... Sage..." He hesitated. "Zeke tried to kill himself last night."

Sage nearly dropped her phone. "What? No... That's impossible. Zeke wouldn't do that. He's Zeke. He's the goofy one who's always laughing and messing around..." Her mind began to race. She wasn't surprised that someone on the team had tried it. Kenny was a mess, Josh was obviously upset about something, and Thorn was so openly depressed and broken she'd been terrified it would be him... But she'd never have imagined Zeke would be the one to snap and hurt himself.

"Something happened... I'm only telling you this because you're the team leader, Sage. None of the others can know, although if you want to tell Troy why he's stepping up long-term, that's fair. Zeke had a run-in with his mother."

Sage understood how serious this was now. "What happened, Dad? What pushed him over the edge? Did she say something to set him off?"

"It's worse than that, Sage... A lot worse." He sighed again. "Apparently, Tracie was molesting Zeke before she left. He never said anything, and Rocky had no idea, but... Well, she came back, and she hurt him again."

Sage was filled with rage. If she had been Katie, she'd have hung up and gone straight to find the woman and kill her, but she wasn't, and she had other ways of punishing evil people. "Gods... Poor Zeke," she whispered in horror.

"He snapped. It was apparently pretty bad... And he found out he has a little sister, who he rescued, because even traumatized, he's still Zeke. The worst part of that is something Zeke doesn't know yet, and I don't know if Rocky's going to tell him now, considering he's already so far-gone... The kid is Zeke's daughter."

"Oh my God... Oh, Zeke..." She shook her head. She understood now why Zeke, who'd always been so happy and carefree, had broken. What she didn't understand was how no one had seen it sooner. How had he hidden the truth from everyone around him? She'd never suspected he had gone through something so serious.

"Can Troy handle being the Red Ranger for a little while?"

"Yes, of course. I know he'll do it... But Dad... We have to take the power coin from Zeke. In the state of mind he's in, he can't keep it safe."

"You're right... But I hate to do that to him. He's already so broken."

"I know, but we have to protect that coin..." She paused. "I think Troy can hold the power coin."

"You do?"

"He's my son. It's in his blood. It can be his legacy, too, at least for now, and because he's a Red Ranger, he can handle any Red Ranger power. If he has the coin, it will be safe, and he won't need a legendary key to morph."

Her father hesitated. "You're right," he said. "Troy is probably the only person besides Zeke or, say, Ollie who could hold that coin."

"Just make sure Zeke understands we're not punishing him. The power won't work for him when he's this broken."

"Believe me, I know that. I'll tell him. I love you, Sage."

"I love you, too, Dad." She hung up.

"Is everything okay?" Troy asked.

"No," Sage admitted. Then, she began to cry. She wanted to be strong, but the reality of what had just happened hit her hard.

"Mom, what happened? What's going on with Zeke?"

She pulled herself together. "Something happened... It was really bad, and he... He tried to kill himself."

"Oh my God... Is he okay?"

"Dad's with him... I guess it didn't work... But... But it's Zeke, Troy... He's not the suicidal type." She shook her head. "He's my friend, and I don't tell him often enough that I care about him... But Zeke's the kid who used to beat up my bullies for me when I'd walk away. He used to follow me around like a lost puppy... He was a goofball, but he was the sweetest kid... And I had no idea what he was going through." She began to tell Troy the entire story. He listened in horror.

"He'll be okay, Mom. He'll get through this. The important thing is, he didn't succeed. Your dad and Rocky will keep him safe. They'll get him help."

She nodded, hoping he was right.

ZEKE

When Adam came back into his room, his father excused himself. Zeke had stopped actively trying to kill himself, but mostly just because he was too tired. It took a lot of energy, and he had none. The weight of his pain had sucked all of his strength away.

"Zeke... I need to do something, and I don't want you to think it's a punishment," Adam began.

"What is it?" Zeke asked.

"We need your power coin. It's not safe right now, but this is only temporary, okay? You're going to take it back when you're better."

Zeke had thought he couldn't possibly feel any worse. He'd been wrong. He was so pathetic, even the team knew it now. He pulled the coin from its resting place. "It's okay," he said numbly. "I'm no Power Ranger anyway."

"Zeke... You are a Power Ranger. What happened doesn't change that."

"It was all a lie... I'm nothing, Adam. I'm not worthy of this coin, and I never was. Please, just take it."

Adam looked at him with sad eyes. "You'll get better, Zeke. And then you'll get this back. In the shape you're in, your powers won't work for you. Trust me, I know. When you break badly enough, the power fails you. It happened to me when I was a teenager."

"Who will hold the power?" Zeke asked because he had to know. He had to be sure it was going to be in good hands.

"Troy's stepping up while you get better."

He nodded. "Troy will be great. He's the perfect Red Ranger."

"Zeke... You're a great Red Ranger."

"No, I'm not. But it's okay. Troy can do this. I have faith in him."

"It's temporary," Adam stressed again.

"No it's not. He can keep it. He deserves it." Zeke curled back up in bed. "I'm tired. I think I'd like to sleep now."

Adam sighed. "Alright. Rest. I'll send your dad back in for a bit."

Zeke nodded, barely having the strength to do that. It was over. He'd lost everything. Nothing mattered anymore. He forced himself to sleep, praying he'd never wake up again.

DUSTIN

His training group had grown significantly. Although they'd lost Zeke for "personal reasons" while he "dealt with something," they'd gained Troy, and with Troy came his entire Super Megaforce team. Dustin saw immediately that they needed some serious work.

"The more, the merrier," he told them cheerfully. "Help yourselves to the Food Station anytime you want."

"Dude, you rock," Jake said, running over to get some food immediately. Noah followed suit.

Dustin watched as everyone began training. Josh took a minute to focus, but once he did, he was fine. Dustin had quickly gotten good at keeping Josh's mind in the game, and now that Josh saw he was nothing like temporarily evil Tori had been, he had relaxed significantly.

"Man, the Super Mimic Force needs some serious help!" Kira said.

"Super Mimic Force?" Dustin asked with a laugh.

"Their deal is they use tiny action figures of everyone who came before them and borrow their powers, right? Mega implies they're better than the rest of us, but they're really just mimicking us. So, they shall henceforth and forever be known to me as the Super Mimic Force."

Dustin laughed harder. "I forgot how much I liked you, Kira," he said.

"Awww, I like you, too, Dustin. We Yellow Rangers need to stick together."

"Yep! Speaking of, would you mind helping Gia? She's got great energy, but she's overconfident and makes stupid mistakes sometimes... I need to work on Emma. She's always got her head in the clouds, but if I can get Josh to focus, I can totally get through to Emma, too. Noah and Jake seem to need some coaching, too. They're sloppy... Orion and Troy are great, though."

"Orion and Troy are probably the only reason they survived the battle against their big bad," Kira said. "And sure, I'll give Gia some pointers. I'm here. I may as well help."

He smiled at her before going over to Emma. The poor girl was slightly skittish since figuring out so many of the Mighty Morphin kids didn't appreciate her hugs, but she was still trying her hardest to do her job. He respected that. He could also see how fierce she was when she actually focused. He knew he could get her in shape if he took the time to work with her, but she looked nervous.

"Relax, Emma. I don't bite." He paused. "But I do like hugs."

Emma grinned and it lit her entire face up. She happily gave him a hug and after that, she began to relax. Dustin focused on sharpening her technique and working with her until she managed to hit the target every single time she attacked. He was impressed she'd improved so quickly.

He worked with Jake and Noah next. They did better with his direct supervision. He noticed Kira and Gia were having a blast going at it without holding back on each other. Gia worked much better with a partner. He knew the kids would be okay. Looking at the other team, he knew they would be fine, too. He just hoped that whatever Zeke was dealing with, he'd be alright in the end. Zeke seemed a lot like him, so he knew whatever had caused him to pull out of training and being on the team had to be pretty serious. Still, he had faith the kid would find his way again. He just hoped it would be sooner rather than later.

SEVERAL HOURS LATER.

KIRA

It was the middle of the night and she was restless. There was nothing to do in Angel Grove at one in the morning, so she decided to go on a hunt for the golden monkey.

"Here, Monkey, Monkey, Monkey..." She called. She'd tried that during the day, but it never worked. She didn't expect much. That's why she was stunned when Goldar actually jumped out at her.

"What do you want?" He demanded.

"To fight you," Kira said casually.

"What for?"

"Because I want to be able to say I fought a golden monkey!"

"You are a very odd human."

"Oh, you have no idea."

He shook his head. "You irritate me with your constant calls. Now, I will end you!"

"We'll see about that." She replied. "Dino Thunder, Power Up! Ptera Power! Yellow Ranger!" She morphed.

"Ugh! I should have known you were a Power Ranger!" Goldar said. He attacked. Kira was ready for the fight of her life.

Suddenly, she heard several people start shouting things. "Ninja Storm! Ranger Form! Ha! Power of Earth!" Dustin cried.

"You still have your powers?" Kira asked between kicks to Goldar's legs.

"Only while I'm here. Zordon did me a solid," he replied, joining her.

The Mimic Force was there, too, as well as the Mighty Morphin kids. Kira smiled. She had backup. "It's on now, Monkey!" She cried.

"Seriously, Kira? You had to do this at one in the morning?" Sage asked. She called her Dragonzord, the only one which would work in the middle of the night.

"I got bored," Kira said apologetically.

"I could be sleeping right now," Jake whined.

"Right? I need my beauty rest," Gia added.

"I get cranky when I don't sleep," Noah chimed in.

"Guys, it's not like she did it on purpose," Emma said kindly.

"Actually, I ran around saying 'here, monkey, monkey, monkey,' and he appeared, but yeah... Let's go with that," Kira said with a laugh.

As Goldar grew, Kira realized she was pretty damn lucky the others had shown up. Sage took over from there, battling the ginormous golden monkey as the others cheered her on. It took over twenty minutes, but Sage finally managed to hurt him enough that Goldar shrank back to his natural size and fled.

"Yeah! You better run!" Kira shouted after him. She paused as the others stared at her. "What?" She asked. "Okay, fine. Sorry for dragging you all out of bed, but you have to admit, that was fun. Who wants pizza? I found a twenty-four-hour place that delivers to my hotel. Come on back for snacks and laughs."

All was forgiven as Kira led everyone to her hotel. She smiled to herself, excited to be able to say she'd gone to battle with the golden monkey, but also relieved the other Rangers had had her back. The Power Rangers really were a family. It was great to be a part of that.

Next time, I'll kick his big, furry, golden ass myself, she though with a laugh. She didn't intend to call him out again, but Kira knew the battle with Goldar was far from over.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: We're getting to the point where this fic's prequel will become more relevant to this story. If you're interested, it's called The Chosen and it takes place around the time that Rita was born. It's already posted in full on my profile. It features the ancestors of Jason, Zack, Aisha, and Trini, as well as three others, and it will explain why certain characters in this fic have the powers they do, as well as why some of the events of this fic happened. (This includes what happened to Caleb, why Angie isn't evil, why Zedd did what he did to Aisha, why Taylor is the way he is, who Zordon's father was, and a lot more.) It also features teenaged versions of Zordon, Zedd, and Rita, and none of them are what you might expect! (Who wouldn't want to see that, right? Zordon with teen angst? Come on, that's a must, LOL.) That fic will help you understand the rest of this one better, so please check it out if you're interested!


	17. Chapter Seventeen

TAMIRA

She was singing a song from The Little Mermaid. She'd recently discovered that Squatt especially loved Disney songs. Finster and Baboo didn't seem to mind, and even Virges was staring at her adoringly. Singing for the monsters gave her comfort as much as it seemed to soothe them, and it helped pass the time. Tamira smiled as the room grew even brighter, wondering why it always seemed to do that when she sang.

"Up where they walk, up where they run, up where they stay all day in the sun!" She sang.

"What is this?!" Merkhet demanded harshly. Tamira immediately stopped singing and began trembling. "Again, you fools? I told you to stop gathering around her! You worship her as though she were a Goddess, while I remain the only Goddess present!"

"Demigoddess, Mistress," Virges corrected her gently.

"Close enough! I come from deities! That child does not!"

"Merkhet, she has the powers of the Sun. She must be of the Gods," Finster said.

Merkhet frowned. "Yes, I suppose she may descend from a line of Horus... But it is diluted and tainted with the blood of countless generations, each more human and less demigod... She is human. I am the real thing. So stop gathering around her and do your jobs!"

The monsters fled. Merkhet glared at her. "Enough of you," she decided.

"Are you going to kill me?" Tamira found the strength to ask.

"Oh, no, Child. I'm going to do much worse than that." She laughed before opening up a portal. She proceeded to drag Tamira through it. Tamira stared in horror at the monster before her.

"Lord Zedd! I bring a gift!" Merkhet declared, shoving Tamira toward him.

"What would I possibly want with that?" Zedd asked.

"I thought you might enjoy a replacement for Aisha... You certainly seemed to like her."

Zedd did something shocking then. He struck Merkhet hard across the face. Tamira had yet to see anyone with the guts to attack Merkhet.

"Do not speak of matters you know nothing about!" Zedd said harshly.

Merkhet looked stunned. "You dare to strike me?" She demanded.

"You crossed into my domain, Woman! You are not in charge here. Now leave."

Merkhet looked furious, but she left. Zedd looked at Tamira and shook his head. "Tanner! Do what you will with the child. She is of no interest to me," he said.

A teenager looked at Tamira darkly. She began to shake, sensing the pure evil within him. Terrified, she did the only thing she could and began to sing.

"You would not believe your eyes if ten million fireflies lit up the world as I fell asleep, cause they'd fill the open air and leave teardrops everywhere. You'd think me rude but I would just stand and stare... I'd like to make myself believe that planet earth turns slowly. It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep cause everything is never as it seems..."

Tanner got closer. He tried to touch her. Tamira began to sing louder. "Cause I'd get a thousand hugs from ten thousand lightning bugs as they tried to teach me how to dance, a foxtrot above my head, a sock hop beneath my bed, the disco ball is just hanging by a thread!" The room was filling with light now.

Just as she was certain something terrible would happen, someone stopped it. Tamira looked up in surprise as Zedd pulled Tanner away from her. "Wait!" He said. "I have changed my mind."

"But Father, you said-" Tanner began to protest.

"I know what I said. Go. You are never to touch that child."

Tanner looked furious, but he left the room.

"Sing, Child. Go on," Zedd said.

Terrified and confused, Tamira resumed the song. "I'd like to make myself believe that planet Earth turns slowly-" The room lit up even more.

"Raven." Zedd whispered the word.

"What did you call me?" Tamira asked.

"Not you... Someone I used to know, a very long time ago." Zedd was staring at her now. "He had the same gift you do."

"Gift? What gift?"

"My child... Do you not realize you make the light?"

"I thought the monsters were doing it because they liked my singing."

"No, dear girl... That light comes purely from inside of you." He shook his head. "It soothes me still, even now... I believed that impossible. Sing for me, Child."

"Tamira," she said cautiously.

"Sing for me, Tamira, and I shall cause you no harm."

That much, she could do. Tamira began to sing other songs, and the room filled with light entirely. A woman joined them. "Ahhh! What is that blinding light? It's going to give me a headache!" She shrieked. Then she paused as the light touched her. "Zedd? What is this?" She asked much softer.

"A gift. Join me, Rita," Zedd said, patting the space beside him. Rita sat down and began listening to her sing.

"You... Remind me of someone..." Rita mumbled. Tamira hoped that was a good thing.

RITA

Something strange was happening to her. As the little girl sang, Rita felt different. She could initially think only of Angeline, her beloved daughter. She missed her and hoped she was safe. Then, she began to think of others. Zedd, who frustrated her to no end, was still her husband. He didn't love her, not the way she wanted, but she supposed he'd come to care about her on some level because the love spell had been broken yet he stayed by her side.

It isn't his fault, she thought. Zedd is incapable of love, just as my father is. He gets as close as he can... Of course, he forgot I existed when that brat Aisha was around, but so what? It gave me a nice vacation from pretending I had a headache.

Her thoughts turned to Rito. As much as her baby half-brother could be a pest, Rita cared for him deeply. She might even love him. It wasn't his fault he was such a fool. She blamed her step-mother for that. He meant well, and his fierce loyalty endeared him to Rita.

Her thoughts began to fall much further back in time. She saw Zordon, the funny blue boy who'd saved her life when she'd barely existed. There had been a time, when Rita was very naive, when she'd loved him, too...

"Enough!" She cried. She refused to let herself think about her earliest years. She fled the room and plugged her ears, not wanting to think of anything but taking over worlds and destroying lives. Still, one persistent shred of light touched her heart.

Angeline... She thought. She hadn't known it was possible to care so deeply for someone. Her own mother had abandoned her at birth, leaving her alone with her father, Master Vile. He hadn't been the worst parent, but he never understood Rita, and he never loved her. At times, he'd resorted to cruelty to teach her lessons, but Rita knew he was only trying to make her stronger.

That's Zedd's logic, too... Be cruel to Angeline to make her stronger... Rita realized. "Ugh!" She cried. "I married my father!" She had never really thought about how similar the two could be at times. That was probably why her father hated Zedd so much. They were so alike, they kept butting heads.

Rita sighed. She picked up her scrying mirror. "Show me Angeline..." She whispered. It didn't always work, but this was one of the rare occasions when it did.

Angeline sat in some sort of courtroom. Rita frowned. What was going on? She watched closely, hoping her daughter was not in trouble.

ANGELINE

She was extremely nervous as she waited for the judge's decision. A social worker stood with her. "Relax, Angie," she said kindly. "Everything will be fine."

Angie wasn't sure about that. She'd told the court about the abuse in the group home, as had Josh. They hadn't officially filed charges yet, but they were investigating the claims. In the meantime, Tanya had stepped up.

"I have Angie's two younger sisters living in my house with their mother," she said. Tommy and Billy had worked together to cover up the unusual DNA results so they only showed that Angie, Tye, and Tessa were siblings. "Now that we know she has family, I think they should be together."

It had stunned Angie that Tanya was willing to step up to gain custody of her. No one had ever fought to keep her before. They usually ran screaming after sending her back to whatever group home she'd been in.

"Agreed! No dispute here!" The representative from the foster care system said. That didn't surprise Angie. Of course they were happy to get rid of her.

"Your evaluation shows you are a fit guardian," the judge said. "Custody granted."

Angie stared in shock. "Come on, Angie," Tanya said. "Let's go home."

"Home?" Angie repeated. She'd never had one of those for more than, at best, a few weeks at a time.

"That's right, sweetheart. You're going home. For good this time," Tanya replied, reading her thoughts.

They left together. Angie tried to remain calm, but part of her was waiting for Tanya to kick her out. She knows about the magic. She has other people with gifts in her house. Maybe it can work out this time, she thought, but she refused to get her hopes up. Things never worked out for Angie like that.

JOSH

He hadn't heard from Taylor in a few days, and he was starting to worry. Josh called him. "Hey Josh," Taylor answered. He sounded upset.

"Taylor... Is everything okay?" Josh asked.

"Yeah. Everything's fine."

"You can talk to me."

Taylor sighed. "I'm okay, Josh... Just trying to get out of something."

"So talk. Maybe I can help. I'm good at figuring things out." Except how I feel about you, he added silently.

"There's this guy... Another incubus. He found me wandering around and took me under his wing to teach me. He was cool at first, and I know he's just trying to help me figure out how to control what I can do so I don't hurt anyone, but now..."

"Now what?"

"He's too clingy, Josh. I affect him. I shouldn't be able to. This guy's supposed to be the strongest incubus walking the earth, but he reacts to me like everyone else... And he doesn't want to let me out of his sight for long. He asked me to stay with him."

"Did you agree?"

"No. I appreciate the way he helped me, but now... It's like he wants me to be his, and I don't want that. I'm not a possession, even if that's how my father treated me."

"Of course you're not. Taylor, can you get away from him?"

"I think so. If I leave town, I don't think he'll follow me... I just don't know where to go."

"Come back to Angel Grove. Go home to your family."

"You know why I can't."

"Then at least come to town... I'll help you find a place to stay. You're safer here, Taylor."

"I'm not safe anywhere," Taylor said. "My father will find me. He'll destroy me. It's only a matter of time."

Josh was determined not to let that happen. "I'll protect you," he said softly.

Taylor's end of the conversation went so silent, Josh was worried he'd hung up. After a minute, he asked very softly, "You will?"

"Yes. I'm a Power Ranger. We protect people."

"I'm not an innocent civilian. I'm an incubus. I tried to hurt you. I did hurt Thorn."

"Stop. The past is over, Taylor. You did what you had to, but you're choosing differently now."

Taylor paused. Then his entire tone changed. "Who are you? How did you find me?" He demanded.

"Taylor? Taylor, what's happening?" Josh asked.

There was a struggle. Then, he could hear Taylor running. Finally, he gasped into the phone, "Josh... Josh, I'm scared."

The admission was beyond terrifying. Josh knew how serious things must be to actually scare Taylor enough that he'd express his fear aloud. He didn't hesitate. He teleported right to Taylor.

"You shouldn't have come," Taylor said in horror.

Seeing the fear in Taylor's eyes, Josh morphed. "It's okay," he promised. "I'll protect you."

"The guy in my room... He was powerful, Josh... The evil radiated off of him, and I think he's older than my father... Whatever he wants, it's not good."

"You would be right... Grandson," the man who appeared before them said. "Zedd is, unfortunately, my son. I straightened him out a long time ago. I'll do the same to you. An incubus with your power levels simply cannot be good."

"Bite me," Taylor said. "I do what I want."

"You remind me of him as a boy. Look what he became! You can be even stronger, Taylor. You can bring pride back to our family line!"

"Yeah... Pass. I've got plans tonight."

Zedd's father tried to hit Taylor. Josh reacted on instinct, attacking him so he couldn't hurt Taylor. He reacted by attacking Josh instead.

"Josh!" Taylor screamed as Josh went blow-for-blow against Zedd's father.

"Run, Taylor!" Josh shouted.

"There is no way in hell I'm leaving you!"

Josh felt a severe blow connect to his head. His helmet protected him from the worst of the damage, but given his history of head trauma, it left him badly hurt. He felt his morph fail and knew he was in trouble.

TAYLOR

"Josh!" Taylor screamed frantically as he saw him come out of his morph. He lay motionless on the ground, clearly injured. The asshole who was apparently his grandfather was about to kill his only friend in the world.

He's more than that, Taylor thought. He felt too much for Josh, and it confused him. He was still new to existing, but he'd felt love versus lust on the people he'd fed on. What they felt for him was raw need, passion, pure desire... But what Taylor felt for Josh was different. It was deeper, and it scared the hell out of him, but he sort of liked it.

Josh clutched his head, reduced to whimpering. Taylor had to do something. Josh was only in this mess because he'd come to help him. As his grandfather delivered another blow, Taylor looked around frantically for a way to help Josh.

Left with no options, Taylor tried to attack his grandfather. He touched him and tried to drain his life force. It wasn't supposed to work on another incubus or on a succubus, but it did when Taylor did it. He'd figured that out when he attacked Tanner.

"You use the same tricks as your father!" His grandfather shouted. He was a great deal stronger than Tanner had been, and he grabbed him by his throat and tossed him several feet into a boulder.

Taylor refused to cry out in pain. Instead, he embraced it and willed himself to keep fighting. As his grandfather came at him with what might very well have been a fatal blow, something very odd happened.

A magnificent white beast appeared. It made a loud sound that seemed to mean, "Come at me, bro!" Then it stood firmly in front of Taylor, shielding him from harm.

"You!" His grandfather hissed. He tried to attack, but the beast refused to allow it. Finally, he glared at Taylor and said, "We are not finished, Boy!" Then he fled.

The beast still did not move. Taylor was terrified of it, because if it could scare away his grandfather it must be very powerful, but he forced himself to stand. He ran to Josh.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

Josh didn't respond. Taylor kissed him, sending his own healing abilities into Josh. He couldn't let Josh die... Not for him... Not at all...

"Please..." Taylor whispered. "Please wake up..." He didn't know if this would work. He'd never tried to heal someone else before, but somehow, he felt he could. "Take my energy, Josh... Take it all... Just be okay... Please... You have to be okay."

Josh groaned suddenly and opened his eyes. "My head..." He mumbled.

Encouraged, Taylor continued to hold Josh in his arms and pour his energy into him. "You'll be okay," he promised. "I'll make it stop hurting."

Josh looked at him with an expression Taylor couldn't quite read. "I'm okay," he said finally. "Thanks."

Taylor had never been so relieved before. "I'm sorry you got hurt," he said.

"It's okay."

"No, it's not... I keep hurting you, Josh. I-"

His words were cut off as Josh kissed him. Everything in Taylor came to life. He felt pure energy flowing through him, but he was careful not to drain any of Josh's life force. He had never expected Josh to initiate another kiss, but he was thrilled that he had.

I love him, Taylor thought. Not just physically, but totally. I can't love him. He's too good for me. He told himself to break the kiss, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Just a little longer, he thought. Then I'll walk away, and he'll never see me again, and he'll be safe.

Josh intensified the kiss, shyly starting to run his hands over Taylor's back and pulling him even closer, so their bodies were pressed completely together. Taylor couldn't help but respond. Walk away, he thought. Protect him. In his heart, Taylor knew he would never be able to bring himself to do it. The second Josh called him, he'd answer.

When they finally broke the kiss, the beast who'd scared his grandfather away let out a terrifying cry before coming toward them.

"Get back!" Taylor cried, moving protectively in front of Josh.

"Taylor, it's okay," Josh said.

"That thing scared my grandfather! It's too powerful!"

"Taylor, it's not going to hurt you."

"How do you know? What is it?"

"It's a horse. You don't have to be afraid of her, Taylor." Josh stepped closer to the horse. "Hey, Girl... Don't worry. I won't hurt you." He gently pet the beast's long nose.

"Josh, don't! It must be dangerous."

Josh laughed. "Come here," he said. Reluctantly, Taylor did. Josh put his hand on the horse's nose. "Just pet her."

Taylor was filled with terror as he stroked the horse's nose. It responded strongly to him, moving its head to encourage the pets.

"See? She likes you!" Josh said.

"What do I do now?" Taylor asked.

"You could ride her."

"What? Are you insane?"

"It's what people do. I took some lessons as a kid. I could show you how."

"No thanks. I'm good down here, with two feet on the ground."

"Are you afraid of heights?"

"I'm afraid of huge beasts throwing me off of their backs to my death." He shook his head. "I just want to go back to Angel Grove. Can we leave?"

"Okay," Josh said kindly. Taylor was amazed he didn't mock him for his fear. Instead, he pet the horse one more time before taking Taylor's hand and teleporting them both back to Angel Grove, nice and far away from the horse.

THE NEXT DAY.

KENNY

He was happy to spend time with Angie. She seemed distracted, but he figured he could cheer her up.

"I present... The Descendants, and its sequel, cleverly named The Descendants Two," he said, popping the first one into his computer.

Angie looked at him. "What are they about?" She asked.

"The children of fairy tale villains who struggle with whether they want to be evil or good."

Angie laughed. "Gee, I had no idea they made a movie about my life."

Kenny grinned. "I thought you might appreciate the plot."

They snuggled together on his bed as he started the first movie. To his surprise, by the end, Angie was wiping away tears.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah... I just... I wish that was how reality worked. Like it was just that easy to change your path, and the weird girl gets the boy, and the kingdom embraces her, and everyone sings their troubles away..."

"Well, I carry a pretty decent tune if you want to try that sometime..."

Angie laughed. "I'm just saying, it's not as easy as they make it look. I still don't fit in at school. Everyone knows I'm a freak. I'd do anything to be normal."

"Why would you want that? You're amazing, Angie. Do you think I changed when kids picked on me? No, I just worked harder and kept trying to reach my goals. You are perfect the way you are."

"Perfect? Right."

"You are. You can't see what an amazing person you are, but I can." Kenny hesitated for a split second before leaning over and kissing her.

He thought it might scare him, or make him think about what happened with Tye, but it didn't. Instead, he felt better. He wasn't scared anymore. He'd just needed to take control of his choices back. One kiss from Angie healed most of what had been broken in him.

Angie stared at him when he pulled away. "What was that for?" She asked.

Kenny shrugged. "It just felt right... Are you upset? I'm sorry."

"No... No, I'm not upset... It's just that no one's ever kissed me before and I'm not sure how I'm supposed to react..." She sighed. "Lame, right?"

"You're not lame." He paused. "Other than what happened the night my power coin was stolen, I haven't exactly kissed anyone either."

Angie looked surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah... Gymnastics doesn't leave a lot of time for romance, and a lot of girls just assume I'm gay."

"Why?"

He shrugged. "It's a stupid stereotype. I don't really care. A person's sexual orientation doesn't matter... But I'm straight. I like girls, I just never have time for them."

"Yet you kissed me..."

"I'm working on learning better time management." He grinned at her.

Angie laughed. She gave him a quick, shy peck on his lips. Kenny wasn't sure what this meant for them, but he decided to just roll with it. For now, they were friends. If it escalated into something more, he was okay with that. If not, he was happy just to have her in his life.

KATIE

She was planning to go home when she got the communication from Earth. Jayden had been severely burned. Katie jumped in the Turbo Falconzord and raced to his side.

"I'm here, Jayden," she whispered, carefully taking his hand in hers. "You're going to be fine now."

"I'm okay," he said weakly.

"Liar."

"You're here now. That's all that matters."

She softened. "I love you..."

"I love you, too."

Jayden was too injured to stay awake for long. The pain kept causing him to black out. Katie decided to do something she knew he wouldn't want her to do. She took his Samuraizer and tried to cast a kanji symbol on him to help him heal. Jayden had taught her some of the symbols because she'd been with the Samurai Rangers for a while and he wanted her to understand what was going on around her. He probably had not expected her to be able to use them.

Slowly, Jayden began to heal. Katie knew it would take time, especially with the severity of his burns, but she could feel it working.

"How?" Mentor Ji asked from behind her, causing Katie to jump.

"I just... I had to try," Katie replied.

"It worked... You should not have been able to do that."

"I just wanted to help. I'm sorry, Ji, but-"

Ji put up a hand to quiet her. "I'm not angry, Katie... Just confused."

"We're all Rangers. Our power comes from the same thing at its core. I just tapped into that."

"You are wise beyond your years, Katie. Your understanding of how the power works is not something even most mentors possess."

Katie shrugged. "My father is the Ultimate Ranger. I guess it's in my DNA."

"Even Tommy does not understand it on that level, Katie. Your connection to the morphing grid is extremely powerful. To be able to make a tool that was never meant for you work... You are different."

"I'm just stubborn." She grinned.

"That I will agree with."

As word spread to the rest of Jayden's team about what she had done, their reactions were mixed. Mike seemed hurt, and Katie remembered he wasn't great with the kanji symbols. Kevin was furious another non-Samurai had done what should not have been possible. Mia was impressed. Emily just seemed relieved Jayden was going to be okay. Antonio cheered her on. Finally, Jayden's sister Lauren hugged her.

"Thank you," she whispered. Katie could tell how scared Lauren had been.

Katie decided she wasn't going anywhere until Jayden's team dealt with their latest issue. Her team would have to deal with just Sage for a bit longer. In the meantime, Katie decided to help Mike with his symbols. That seemed to cheer him up, especially when he got things right.

Sage is keeping secrets from me, Katie remembered. Sage had expressly forbidden anyone from stressing Katie out while she was away. Katie knew it was for the best, but hoped nothing too serious had happened in her absence.

ZACK

Merkhet had appeared to him a couple of times. She hadn't made any serious demands, but Zack was worried. His head went fuzzy around her. What if he did something horrible in that state? Would he even remember?

"I want proof that my daughter is safe," Zack said to her.

"You hold no power here, Black Ranger," Merkhet replied. "You may make no demands."

"Please... I just need to know."

"She is perfectly safe and shall remain that way as long as you obey my commands."

He suspected she was lying, but he couldn't take chances with Tamira's life. "I understand... Mistress," he forced himself to reply.

"Excellent. Now, run along. I shall visit you again soon." With that, she vanished.

Zack felt incredibly empty. He couldn't keep this up much longer. He needed to find his daughter. If I could just tell Jason... Or Tommy... Or anyone... He sighed. He knew he couldn't do that. Merkhet was watching him too closely, and she had an eerie way of knowing his every move. I'll find you, Baby Girl, he vowed. Somehow, I'm going to bring you back home.

THORN

Sage still wouldn't speak to him. He understood her reasons, but it still hurt him deeply. He finally understood what she'd been feeling. How could he have been so stupid?

"Thorn? Are you okay?" Caleb asked gently.

"Yeah... Just thinking too much," Thorn replied.

"That's always dangerous. Can I help?"

Thorn smiled at him sadly. "You being here helps." He kissed him. "Thank you for putting up with me when I was all broken."

"I love you... Even when you're broken." Caleb looked into his eyes. "Especially then, actually, because you need me when you're broken."

"I always need you, Caleb. And I always will."

Suddenly, Caleb looked very distant. Thorn was beginning to recognize the visions. He waited patiently for Caleb's awareness to return.

Caleb was trembling. "What did you see?" Thorn asked gently.

The fear in Caleb's eyes was clear. "Something's coming... Soon," he said.

"What is it?"

"Death. A lot of death." Caleb looked haunted. "I didn't see the reason, or even the faces of the victims... But there were so many dead... And I think some of them, at least, were Power Rangers. Maybe not from your team, but from others... There was a huge battle, and not everyone survived."

Thorn stared at him. "We'll stop it," he said.

"I'm not sure if we can... I feel like too much has already been set in motion... I wish I knew more. I'm sorry... I can't control these stupid visions."

"It's okay, Caleb. At least we know to pay attention and look for signs. We'll figure it out."

Caleb was still shivering. Thorn wrapped him in his arms. "You feel so cold..." He said in alarm.

"It happens sometimes," Caleb admitted. "When I touch death... It's like my body responds... I guess it goes back to the fact that I died."

"Caleb..." Thorn held him closer. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I couldn't. I knew it would upset you. Besides, I'm dealing with it. I'm remarkably well-adjusted for someone who was brought back from the dead and woke up in a morgue." He smiled, but Thorn could see how scared he actually was.

"You're doing great, Caleb. And I'm here for you."

"I know you are." Caleb kissed Thorn, and Thorn could feel him steadily warming up. He kept kissing him until Caleb stopped shivering. "See?" Caleb asked. "My body just needs to be reminded I'm still alive sometimes."

"You're alive," Thorn promised him before kissing him again.

He tried not to worry too much about what Caleb had told him. What was this big battle? What could be so important it would cause other teams of Power Rangers to show up? Who would die? Thorn knew obsessing wouldn't help, but it was hard not to. So far, Caleb's visions were proving to be very accurate. This was one that needed to be prevented from coming true.

ZEDD

He had never seen Rita so calm. She looked at him with eyes that were almost child-like as she asked, "Oh, Zeddy... Can we keep her?"

"For now, perhaps," Zedd replied. Although he found Tamira's voice soothing, it unnerved him how much she reminded him of Raven. He couldn't keep her around forever, or he might harm her.

So? You're evil. Harming people is what you do, he reminded himself. The only problem was, he still remembered a time when he hadn't been evil, and it had been Raven who helped stop the nightmares he was cursed with after surviving a childhood with his father. There were times when nothing calmed him except Raven's light. Even his beloved Galaxia could not always comfort him when the nightmares were at their worst.

Xia... He thought. He felt nothing for her now, but he remembered loving her. Oh, how he'd loved her... He'd been a fool to believe they could be happy. That had never been in the cards for him. He was born to a truly evil bloodline. Sure, he had tried to rebel, and he'd even run away to be with her, but the truth was, he should have known how their story was going to end.

Zedd excused himself and walked to his room. There, he pulled out a box he had kept sealed for an eternity. He pulled out an ancient leather-bound book and opened it. Xia smiled back at him, perfectly sketched by his own hands on the first page. She had been so beautiful... And her many-times-great-granddaughter Aisha reminded him of her just enough to hurt him deeply. He had loved Xia, but once he became evil, that love had died. He could not love anyone. It was part of his curse. Instead, his former love translated to an obsession, and when he had Aisha in his clutches, he hadn't been able to resist doing horrible things to her. He wanted so desperately to be able to feel what he had felt for Xia again that he punished her descendant.

At first, he'd felt pure hatred for her because she dared remind him of Xia. That hatred had produced Tanner, who had all of Zedd's darkness inside of him. Then, he'd felt something else... The desperation of a terrified boy who loved a girl so much, he would give up anything to save her... Even her. Had he been able to, he might have wept, but he couldn't do that anymore. Instead, he attacked Aisha again, hoping to feel something, and that had produced Taylor. As much as Zedd hated to admit it, Taylor reminded him deeply of who he'd been as a teenager. Perhaps that was why he was so hard on the boy.

The girls had been born afterward, as Zedd tried to make up for his mistake. He knew Taylor would be dangerous to him. He needed more evil children to balance him out. Somehow, though, the girls had been born as normal, innocent, good people. Maybe Taylor had somehow made it impossible for any of Aisha's other children to be evil. Zedd wasn't entirely sure. Tye had been so pure of heart, she'd protected the Red Ranger. Zedd had flashed back upon an incident from his past. He'd refused to harm Xia. Instead, he had asked her to teach him to ride a horse. His father had been furious. The next time he sent him after her, Zedd again refused to harm her. To punish him, his father had nearly killed him. When that hadn't worked, he'd slashed his face open before pouring acid into the wounds. That was the exact punishment Zedd had inflicted upon Tye.

It had to be done, he reminded himself. Tye was weak. He could not allow that. He had to teach her, as his father had taught him. The wounds had never healed, and even though Zedd covered them with a glamour most of the time, he never forgot that lesson. When he had transformed into his current appearance, the scars were covered by the metal over his face, and hardly visible with his flesh gone, but he still saw them when he looked in the mirror. Even now, he was haunted by those scars.

I shouldn't have done that to her, Zedd thought. Tye was such a pretty girl. He felt no remorse, but he did regret doing anything his father's way. Even as an evil ruler, Zedd did not want to be his father's son.

He wondered how Tessa was. She was so innocent and pure of heart, it was clear she was completely made up of Aisha's energy. At least she'd been obedient. He'd never needed to seriously harm her.

He looked again at Xia's face. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I know I have disappointed you." He flipped through his old sketchbook, the only remnant of his youth he'd kept, and saw more drawings of Xia. There were others, too. He'd sketched his beloved horse Winifred, who had become his closest confidant. He'd truly loved Winnie, which he had not expected when he initially encountered the horse. He'd sketched Raven and Dimitri training, Quin laughing, Caius reading, and Morgana staring into space, deeply traumatized but absolutely beautiful. He'd even sketched a young Zordon with his carefree long blonde hair and casual clothing. They had been his friends once. He had nearly been one of them... But that hadn't worked out. He saw another person on the next page, and he tore it out.

"Bastard!" He spat. He shredded the reminder of the man who'd turned him into what he'd become, ripping it apart until there was nothing left but useless confetti.

He shook his head, tempted to burn the final proof of his previous weakness. He might have, but looking at Xia's face, he couldn't do it. Instead, he tucked it safely back into the box and sealed it tight with magic.

"Forget all of that," he scolded himself. "That boy is long-dead, and good riddance! He was weak!" He banished the box from his sight so he would not be tempted to look at the book again.

ZEKE

His still-unnamed little sister was smiling at him as she ate breakfast. They'd been calling her honey and sweetheart while they debated choosing a real name for her. Zeke sort of liked Lilly, but he wasn't sure if the kid would grow up to hate it. He just thought it was pretty. He also toyed with naming her after Casey, which his dad sort of liked the idea of, but Zeke was worried it might upset Adam, Sage, and Thorn.

"Go on, Cutie. Watch some TV while I clean this up," Zeke said as she finished. Somehow, he always managed to keep a smile on his face around her. She'd been through enough. She didn't need to see her big brother falling apart all the time. If she could be okay, maybe he could be, too.

She gave him a hug before running off. His father looked at him as he did the dishes. "Relax, Dad," he said. "She had cereal. It's a spoon, a bowl, and a plastic cup. Nothing I can hurt myself with."

"I wasn't thinking that," his father said too quickly.

"Yeah you were, but that's okay. I earned it. I gave you a reason to be worried."

His father paused. "Zeke... Can we talk?"

"Yeah. What's up?"

"There's something I have to tell you... Something I should have told you sooner, but..."

"But I was too busy trying to off myself?"

"Don't say it like that!" His father looked completely horrified by Zeke's casual, dark humor.

"It's the truth... But I'm sorry, Dad... Really. Tell me what it is."

"It's bad, Zeke."

"So tell me fast and get it over with."

"Your sister isn't mine, Zeke," he said gently.

"Then why did Children's Services let her stay with us?"

"She's..." His father sighed and shook his head. "Never mind. We can do this later, when you're better."

Suddenly, Zeke understood. "Oh God..." he whispered. "She's mine?"

"I'm so sorry, Zeke."

It hadn't even occurred to Zeke that that was possible. He felt like a complete idiot. He knew how pregnancy worked. There was no rule that said it was impossible for a kid to knock someone up... But it was too horrifying and his mind had refused to consider it. "I don't know what to do with a kid... I am a kid!" Zeke couldn't breathe. He had a kid... with his mother... He was filthy and horrible...

"Zeke... I know this is hard for you. It's hard for me. But you're not alone. I'm here with you, and I'm in this for the long run. Whatever happens, you're not alone, okay?"

"Does the kid know?"

"No. I figured it would confuse her."

"This poor kid is screwed... She's got a horrible mother and now she's stuck with me as a father? I can't do this, Dad... I can't fuck up her life."

"You won't. And if you don't want to ever tell her, then we won't. I'm happy to let everyone believe she's mine. She's a great kid."

"For now, okay... But eventually... Eventually, she has the right to know." Zeke shook his head. He'd almost killed himself, and now he was finding out he had a kid? He couldn't leave her. She had the worst mother ever. He couldn't leave her without a father. He'd only survived their mother because he had his dad.

I gotta pull myself together for this kid, he realized. Somehow, he had to get better, even though it seemed impossible. Slowly, he had started to get twitchy from boredom and his now-untreated ADHD. That was a problem he could fix. "Dad... I know I fucked up, but I need my meds," Zeke admitted. "I'm thinking way too much and I can't focus, and knowing this... I have to try to get well, right? The kid needs at least one functional parent, even if she doesn't know that's what I am."

His father sighed, apparently deciding it was better not to point out that he'd still have his meds if he hadn't been a complete idiot and tried to take them all at once. "Zeke... If we tell the therapist what happened, you're going to end up in the hospital," he said. "Maybe you need that... But I've been trying not to do that to you, and you've had Adam and me to look after you."

"I don't want to be locked up in loony land... But I'm crazy now, so-"

"You're not crazy, Zeke... You're just hurting."

"Did they find her yet?"

"No... She's on the run, but they will, Zeke. I won't stop until that bitch is rotting in prison for what she did to you."

"Where's Katie and the Turbo Falconzord when we need her? Nothing outruns that." Zeke sighed. "She's still out there, Dad... And so is whoever was working with her... Whoever... Attacked me. And I have no idea who he is. I could see him on the street and I'd never know, and... And I'm so fucking scared, Dad... I'm scared all the time."

"You have every right to be scared, Zeke. You went through hell."

"But this kid needs me to be strong... How am I supposed to be strong?" He felt himself starting to cry again. He hated that he kept doing that.

"You are strong, Zeke." His father held him, and Zeke felt stronger in his arms. "You are so much stronger than you realize. I love you. You're going to be okay. We're going to get through this together."

There was a knock on the door. His father answered it. He returned a minute later with Sage. "Hey, Zeke..." She said softly. "How are you feeling?"

Sage was the only one of his friends who was allowed to see him. Zeke didn't want anyone else to hear about what he'd done from anyone other than him. Since Adam had told Sage the truth so she could do what she needed to do, Zeke didn't mind her coming around.

His father left them alone. Zeke looked at Sage and sighed. "Come on. Let's talk," he said. He led her up to his room. Once they were inside, Zeke asked, "Are you mad at me?"

"No," Sage said. "How could I be mad at you? Everyone breaks sometimes, Zeke. I just hate that it got this bad and none of us saw it coming... And I'm worried about you."

"I'm okay... Sort of."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning I still hurt all the time, and I still want it to stop, but I have decided I can't kill myself... I can't do that to my dad. I'm all he has. I saw the way it broke him when he found me with the pills in my mouth... He was so scared, and I did that to him, and I feel like shit about it." He shook his head. "She's still out there, Sage... And I have no idea where."

"She won't be able to run for much longer."

"Why do you say that?"

"I may have used a Shaman parlor trick or two... She's not resting, Zeke. She's having the worst nightmares of her life. I'm forcing her to see everything that terrifies her pretty much constantly."

"You can do that?"

"Yeah."

"And... You did that... For me?"

"Of course I did. You're my friend, Zeke. I love you."

He almost started to cry again. "I don't deserve that... I tried to kill myself. I quit. I even left the team without a fight, because I'm no Power Ranger..."

"Yes you are, Zeke. You're more of a Power Ranger than anyone. Even with everything you went through and how badly you broke, you stopped and rescued that little girl. There's nothing more Power Ranger than that."

"Yeah... About her... She's sort of mine." He waited for her to freak out. Instead, she looked relieved.

"Rocky told you," she said.

"You knew?"

"He told my dad. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know... I guess I should at least give the kid a name."

"Yeah, that would be a good start."

"I like Lilly... Do you think it's too stripper-like?"

She laughed. "No, Zeke, I don't. It's beautiful, actually."

"Or, I could name her after your mom... I mean... If you're okay with that? Is that weird?"

Sage paused. She looked at him sadly. "No, it's not weird. I know how close you were to my mom. She saw how badly you needed a mother's affection, and she stepped up and tried to be there for you. She loved you, Zeke."

"I loved her, too." He sighed. "I miss her so much sometimes... She'd know what to say to me, you know? She'd put this all in perspective for me and somehow, I'd be okay."

"I wish I could do that for you..."

He took her hand. "You being here and talking to me helps, Sage. Trust me."

She nodded. "So, you like Lilly, but also want to honor my mom. What about Casey as a middle name?"

"Lilly Casey sounds weird."

"Lillian Casey. It's pretty and you can call her Lilly for short."

He smiled. "I like that, actually," he said. "It feels right."

"Glad I could help."

"You always do... I love you, Sage. I don't tell people I care about them enough, but I love you, okay? I mean, I always have. You were even my first crush, when I was, like, five."

She laughed. "You had a crush on the school freak?"

"You're not a freak. You're awesome. And that's exactly what I told your bullies when I beat them up."

She laughed. "You shouldn't have. I was perfectly fine just walking away."

"They needed to learn their lesson. You didn't deserve the things those jerks said to you."

Sage smiled at him sadly. "You always were secretly sweet," she said. She reached toward him to touch his cheek. Zeke flinched automatically. "I'm sorry," Sage said quickly.

"It's okay," he said. "I didn't mean to be all weird... I just..."

"You're traumatized. I understand, Zeke. I get it. More than you think." She paused. "I still don't know what happened while I was unconscious, but I have a son... A son who's older than me because of time travel... And it's the weirdest thing ever, but I love him anyway."

"He's a good guy... How is he handling the power?"

"He's doing well... But we miss you."

"He's a good addition to the team. He'll do well."

"Until you come back."

"If I come back."

"You will."

"Sage... I'm sorry you understand this... But I know you do, and you're the only one who does..."

"And I'm here for you, Zeke. You can talk to me, because I do get it."

He nodded. "Thank you."

"Anytime."

"So... Do you want to meet my kid?" He had a hard time saying that, but he needed to. Talking to Sage about it made it real, and he needed to accept that it was or he'd never deal with it.

"Sure," she said.

Zeke guided her downstairs. His sister... Daughter... The kid was sitting on the couch watching Nickelodeon, but her face lit up when Zeke entered the room.

"Hey, Kid, come here," he said. She obediently did. "This is my friend Sage."

"Hi," the kid said cheerfully. She immediately hugged Sage, because the kid liked hugs, and she didn't seem to understand that strangers weren't always trustworthy.

"Hi, sweetie," Sage said.

"So, I decided we're going to name you today," Zeke told her.

"Okay," she replied.

"I was thinking of Lillian Casey... But I'll call you Lilly, like the flower. Do you like that?"

She shrugged. "I like flowers," she said.

"Because if you hate it, I can change it-"

"Zeke," Sage said with a slight laugh. "She likes it. Stick with it."

He nodded. "Okay. I christen you Lilly! I'll talk to Dad later and he can make sure they put it on your paperwork... We're working on getting you an official birth certificate and everything, since it looks like our mother never bothered to let anyone know you existed."

"Do you want to watch TV with me?" Lilly asked. For her, it was as simple as that. If he said her name was Lilly, she was good with that.

"Sure," Sage said since Zeke didn't reply. They sat down with her and started watching. Lilly began explaining the plot of the show. Zeke was sort of amazed the kid was picking things up so quickly. She was smart, especially for someone who'd been locked away from the world and only exposed to adults who wanted to hurt her.

After a while, Zeke walked outside with Sage to say goodbye. She looked at him. "She's a cute kid," she said.

"Yeah, she is," Zeke agreed.

"Are you okay?"

"No. Not even close... But I'm going to try to be. My dad and your dad have been trying to push me to talk to my shrink... I think it's time I do that."

"That's good, Zeke. It'll help."

"I hate knowing that bitch and her friends hurt Lilly, Sage... She's just a baby, you know?"

"I do... But she's really young, Zeke. I think if you stop dwelling on it, she might forget eventually, as she gets older. She's got a good chance of getting through this well. Just be there for her when she needs you."

"I will be... I don't know what the hell I'm doing, but I'm going to be here for her."

"Good." She hugged him, and he was calm enough that he allowed it. "I'll come back soon, okay? I promise I'll keep checking on you, and if you need me, promise me you'll call."

He nodded. "I will. Thank you, Sage. For everything."

She left and Zeke went back inside. He sat down with Lilly. When his father came into the room, Zeke said, "Dad, meet Lilly."

"Lilly?" His father asked.

"Lillian Casey."

His father looked a bit emotional as he heard her middle name. "That's a great name," he said. He looked at Lilly. "Do you like it?"

"Uh-huh. I like flowers, and Zeke says it's a flower," she replied.

"Are you okay?" His father asked Zeke softly.

"No, but I've decided I need to be, so... I'm going to talk to someone. I don't know how, but I will. I have to. I can't keep going on like this, so it's talk, or finish what I started... And I'm not going to do that, Dad. I promise." It scared him to promise not to kill himself. It put a lot of pressure on him to survive, but he needed that. If he set the goal in front of a witness, there was no backing out of it. He would do this. He would find a way to get well. And maybe, somehow, he'd become a Power Ranger again one day.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

OLLIE

He'd been having the strangest dreams lately. They started around the time Kat died, and he initially blamed it on eating junk food before bed, but they hadn't gone away when he stopped.

He found himself in complete darkness, looking at a planet of terrifying monsters. They stood around playing cards, trading stories of their tragic defeat and explaining how they planned to get their revenge.

The monster who always grabbed his attention was especially frightening. The other monsters seemed to fear him, and although none of them seemed to notice Ollie, he felt like this one sensed him somehow. He slipped further into the shadows, hoping they would hide him from sight.

Ollie awoke with a start. He sighed and curled back up, determined to get some actual rest. It wasn't long before the shadows swallowed him up again, but this time, he wasn't in the same place.

It was dark. A voice he recognized began to sing through her obvious tears. Tamira, he realized. Tamira's in danger.

As she continued to sing, the room grew lighter. A monster Ollie recognized from old news footage of the Power Rangers sat with her. Lord Zedd seemed oddly calm for an evil guy. He listened to Tamira sing.

"You too?" A woman asked in disgust. "Honestly! Come here, you worthless brat!" She grabbed Tamira by her hair and dragged her away from Lord Zedd.

"Unhand that girl at once, Merkhet!" He shouted. Now he resembled the terrifying monster he was supposed to be.

"I am taking her away before she taints you. She is a curse on our mission."

Lord Zedd grabbed Merkhet's arm and nearly crushed it as Tamira watched in terror. "You gave her to me, Woman! You cannot take her back."

"You didn't even want her!"

The two battled for a minute before he used his staff to zap her. She cursed and tried to retaliate, but Tamira began singing to try to calm the situation. Lord Zedd hesitated before releasing Merkhet from the death grip he had on her. "Go." He said harshly.

"The girl comes with me," Merkhet said. Before he could protest, she grabbed her and vanished. Ollie forced himself to step through the shadows between the realms and follow them.

Merkhet immediately attacked Tamira. Ollie wanted to help, but if this was only a dream, he was pretty sure there was nothing he could do. He felt his anger grow as Tamira screamed in pain while Merkhet tortured her.

Ollie nearly jumped out of his bed. He knew he had to help Tamira. It may have been a dream, but he was certain the threat was real. He tried to text her. She hadn't responded to him in days, and he'd been wondering if he'd pissed her off somehow, but now he knew something was really wrong. He'd tried asking Zack why she didn't respond to him and he'd gotten all weird and tried to brush it off. Something was definitely going on.

"I'll ask Tia to help," he decided aloud. He knew the girl had some sort of power to move through portals. If anyone could help him find Tamira, it was her.

ZEDD

He was furious Merkhet had taken Tamira away. He was even more furious that he could see her hurting the girl. I need to put an end to that wretched woman, he thought. He decided to do something fairly crazy. The child would never be safe with Merkhet. She could snap and kill her at any moment. He wasn't quite sure why, but he could not allow that to happen.

You could not save Raven, he reminded himself. Save his descendant. Although he hadn't had absolute proof that Tamira was Raven's descendant, he had discovered her last name was Taylor, as Raven's had been. That was part of why he'd chosen his son Taylor's name. He was clearly light, and on some level, Zedd had been paying tribute to his former friend. The last name was enough for him. He did not want to help anyone. He was evil. He didn't care about the girl... But she had given him peace, however briefly, and he owed it to her to try to protect her now.

He used a communication spell to send a message to the last person he should be contacting. He masked his energy so she would never know where it came from, and he let it go. He had to trust that she would save the girl.

KATIE

She was surprised when a message flashed through her mind with great urgency. Merkhet has Tamira. Her father is being blackmailed. Save her.

"What the hell was that?" Katie asked.

"What's wrong?" Jayden asked.

"I'm not sure yet... I need to make a phone call." She walked away and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed a number and waited for someone to answer.

"Hello?" Zack asked.

"Zack, it's Katie. Where's your daughter?" She asked without preamble.

"I... What?" Zack asked.

"Where is Tamira? Is she okay?"

He sighed. "How did you find out?"

"Oh shit... It's true? Zack, what happened?"

"It isn't safe to talk, Katie. She'll know."

"I don't give a rat's ass. What did she make you do, Zack?"

"Nothing yet... Not as far as I know."

"I'll get her back... The Turbo Falconzord can-"

"She'll expect that. That's how you kidnapped your mother."

"Right... She'll expect me... That's it! I'll send someone else."

"Katie, no one else can pilot that Zord."

"Troy's team can. They've been able to do it longer than I have. Merkhet won't see them coming."

Zack hesitated. "Okay," he said finally. "If you think they can do this, then yes... Please get her out of there, Katie."

"I will," Katie promised. "Just stay strong, Zack. She's going to need you."

She hung up and dialed Troy. "Hey, Troy," she began. "I need your help." She explained the situation. Troy agreed immediately. She felt better knowing that Tamira would be in good hands and she could continue helping Jayden and his team for a bit longer.

TAMIRA

Merkhet's beating had been severe, but the worst part was that she'd cast a spell on Tamira that turned her mute. She could no longer sing, or even speak. She felt so lost that the light vanished entirely and she was left in complete darkness.

Do not give up, a voice whispered.

Who are you? She thought.

Your great-great-great-very-much-great-grandfather. My name is Raven.

Either she had lost her mind, or the person Zedd said she reminded him of was in her head. I'm scared, she said. Please help me.

Help is coming, Raven promised. Soon, you shall be rescued. Do not lose your hope, my dear girl. You must be strong. You will survive this.

Everything hurts... I'm in so much pain... I think she beat every inch of my body.

I know, Tamira. It is nearly over. You must listen to me... Suddenly, the voice began to sing in her head. The music gave her peace. Tamira allowed it to fill her heart, and soon, the light that had burst from her before returned.

I'm brave, she thought. I can do this. I can be brave. I can hold on to hope.

I'm very proud of you, Tamira. You have done well.

Suddenly, some sort of vehicle appeared in the room. Tamira let out a squeak of surprise. She might have jumped, but she was too hurt to move even in her shock.

"Get the kid," a boy said urgently. She recognized the outfit he was wearing. It was the Red Ranger, and his team was there with him, although their outfits were all different. They looked like they came from a bunch of different teams. It didn't matter. The Power Rangers were here now. She was saved!

The Green Ranger came toward her and Tamira shrank away from him when he tried to touch her. She hurt everywhere, and even if she was brave, she was also still scared.

"I won't hurt you," he said gently. Realizing the Ranger was a boy, she became even more afraid, suddenly wondering who was under the outfit. The last teenage boy she'd encountered had definitely been out to hurt her.

"I've got her," the Pink Ranger said. She came over cautiously and knelt beside her. "It's Tamira, right?" She asked.

Tamira nodded slowly. It hurt. She couldn't speak, but a tear rolled down her cheek.

"It's okay, Tamira. You're safe now," the Pink Ranger promised. She extended a hand toward her, but didn't touch her. Tamira slowly found her courage and took her hand. The Pink Ranger pulled her into her arms and held her as she began to sob uncontrollably. She couldn't breathe.

"You're safe," the Pink Ranger said again. "It's over, Tamira. No one's going to hurt you now."

She let the girl hold her, finding comfort in her warm embrace. Finally, she led Tamira to the vehicle they'd come in. The other Rangers were still battling, but they ran to the vehicle now, and they fled together. To Tamira's great relief, they landed right in front of her dad, who stood in a field waiting for them.

"Tammy... Oh, Baby Girl... I'm so relieved you're home!" Her father cried. He held her, and it hurt, but Tamira ignored the pain to welcome the comfort of being back in her father's arms.

She looked at him and sobbed harder before motioning toward her mouth. She tried to speak and no sound came out. "It's a spell," the Red Ranger said. "Let me see if I can help." He began to focus and slowly, Tamira felt some of her injuries beginning to heal. At the same time, her throat opened up, and she could speak. She tried to sing softly, and that worked, too. She hugged him, relieved to no longer be mute.

"Thank you, Troy," her father said. "I didn't know you could do that."

"Neither did I... This Shaman stuff is all new to me, but I've always followed my instincts. That's what I'm doing now, too," the Red Ranger said. Tamira wondered how her father knew his name was Troy.

"Daddy... Can we go home?" She asked.

Her father hesitated. "Baby, I think we need to stay here for now... Just you and me. Your mom can't protect you from those monsters, and I can't risk them attacking her or your brothers," he said.

"But you think you can take them?"

"There's a lot about me you don't know, Tammy... I think we need to talk, but not tonight. In the morning, when you're feeling better-"

"No, Daddy. Tell me now. Please. I need to understand what's happening."

He sighed, but nodded. "Come on. We'll go back to the hotel and talk."

She agreed to that. They reached the hotel quickly. "Baby Girl, do you remember the stories about the Power Rangers?" He asked.

"Duh," she replied. "They're only the coolest people ever."

He laughed and said, "Thanks."

"What do you mean, thanks?"

"Would you believe me if I told you that before I became your dad, I was one of the original Power Rangers in Angel Grove?"

She stared at him. "If you're messing with me, that's kind of messed up after everything that just happened."

"It's true, Tammy. I was the original Black Ranger on the Mighty Morphin team."

"It makes sense," she said after a minute.

"It does?"

"I always knew you were a super hero, Dad. I just didn't know it was official."

He hugged her. "I love you so much, Baby Girl, and the people who took you... They're my problem, not yours. Merkhet is working with Zedd and Rita, the two monsters we were trying so hard to stop."

"I met them," she said. "Zedd and Rita."

"Zedd? You met Zedd? She promised if I did what she asked, she wouldn't do that to you... Oh God..."

"Daddy, chill! He didn't hurt me. He didn't even try to. My injuries were all from Merkhet. I think she was mad he didn't hurt me after she left me with him."

"But... Why didn't he hurt you? He's the biggest monster there is."

"He liked my singing. It made him feel better... Dad... There's something I can do. I didn't know I could do it until now, but... Watch." She turned out the light and began to sing.

"All those days, watching from the windows, all those years, outside looking in, all that time never even knowing just how blind I've been... Now I'm here, blinking in the starlight. Now I'm here, suddenly I see. Standing here, it's all so clear, I'm where I'm meant to be..." Slowly, the room began to fill with light. Her father gasped as she continued to sing, making the light stronger. "And at last I see the light... And it's like the fog has lifted. And at last I see the light, and it's like the sky is new. And it's warm and real and bright and the world has somehow shifted... All at once, everything looks different now that I see you."

"Tamira... How did you...? I... What's going on?" Her father asked.

She smiled and took his hand in hers. "Sing with me," she said.

He still seemed confused, but he began singing with her like he always did when she was scared or sad or just feeling snuggly. The Disney song had always been one of her favorites, and her dad had sung it with her a thousand times before, but it had never lit up a room. When they finished, her father stared at her in wonder before hugging her.

"Does it freak you out?" She asked.

"No... No, but it's incredible," her father said. "I was told this ancient story about our family... We had an ancestor who was supposed to have the power to call the sun, but I never believed it was true... Tammy... You've inherited his gift."

"What happened to him, Dad? Because Zedd knew him, and thinking about him made him sad."

"Sad? I didn't know Zedd could be sad."

"Tell me the story."

He nodded. "So, a long time ago, in the village our family originally came from, there was this boy named Raven. He could play any instrument he touched and he was full of joy. One day, his friends were killed by an ancient evil inside of a cave, but Raven was able to cast a light inside of the cave and destroyed it. He survived and went on to become a hero, tasked with the mission of stopping a powerful evil. He fought bravely, and one day, he made it home. He could not stay, but he promised to return and marry the girl he loved, who had given birth to their son while he was gone. Unfortunately, he died trying to stop that evil force."

"He failed?"

"He didn't fail, Tammy. He did what needed to be done, and he fought with his entire heart and soul. If you do that... If you keep fighting the evil no matter what, you can never truly fail. That's the moral of the story."

Tamira nodded. "I won't fail, Daddy," she whispered, suddenly overcome with exhaustion.

"Won't fail at what, Baby Girl?"

"At stopping him." She yawned, not even sure where that knowledge was coming from.

"Stopping who, Tammy?"

"Zell." With that, she drifted off to sleep, finally safe in her father's arms.

ZACK

He was thoroughly confused. Who was Zell? Had his daughter mixed up Zedd's name somehow? He was filled with a deep sense of dread that Zedd could not possibly be responsible for and knew there was more to it. Whatever his little girl was talking about, it was far worse than Zedd, Rita, or even Merkhet had ever been.

SAGE

She saw Ollie sitting on the curb outside of his house looking stressed out. "Is everything okay?" She asked him.

"Yeah, I guess," he said. "Tamira's back."

"Back? You mean from Chicago?"

"No. She wasn't in Chicago. Zack's not saying much, but something happened and... I know where she was. I saw it."

"You saw it? What do you mean, Ollie?"

"Look, I've been having crazy dreams lately. I end up places... And I see things. One of those times, I saw Tamira."

Sage pressed him for more details. "You're a dream walker," she said. "Ollie, have you ever done this before?"

"I don't think so... It started after Kat died. I can't tell my Dad. He doesn't believe in this stuff, but... I think it's real, Sage. I'm pretty sure of it."

"I'm pretty sure of it, too. The monster you described and that planet with all of them? I think that was Onyx, a place you should never have seen... And the scary monster sounds entirely too much like Master Vile... Rita Repulsa's father."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. I need to help you, Ollie. This is dangerous."

"Great. Okay, fine. Whatever we need to do... I just want these dreams to stop so I can get some rest."

Sage called David, not sure what else to do. He listened to the details before saying, "Sage... I think he's more than that. I think he's walking the shadow realms."

"Uncle David... That's really dangerous."

"I know. You need to bring him to the reservation, Sage. He can get real training here."

"I'll talk to him... First, I need to call his mother. She might know more." She dialed Becky's number. "Becky... It's Sage. We need to talk about Ollie."

"Is he alright?" Becky asked.

"Sort of... I need to ask you something, and please be honest. Did Ollie have unusual nightmares as a kid? Did he ever say he went places at night?"

"It's started again, hasn't it?" She asked.

"Wait... Again?" Sage asked.

"Ollie used to tell me about his dreams all the time. I thought he just had a great imagination, but then he started waking up hurt... They were attacking him." She sighed. "I didn't know what to do. I believed him, of course. I've always been open to the supernatural. I was the weird kid in school who was obsessed with that stuff, but I knew I couldn't tell Jason. He's so skeptical. I mentioned it vaguely and he just dismissed it... I was worried about asking Tommy, because they're so alike... But one day when he and Kat were over, I asked Kat for help."

"Aunt Kat... Of course." Sage sighed. "Becky... My aunt was evil. I know you didn't know, but Jason does."

"Evil? But... I trusted her! I told her I wanted to help him learn, but she insisted he'd only be safe if we locked off the ability entirely... And somehow, she did that for him."

"And when she died, it unlocked, and he was completely defenseless."

"Oh God... What did I do?" Becky took a deep breath. "How can I help him now?"

"I can help," Sage promised. "I'll train him to use it safely."

"Thank you, Sage... Thank you so much. I know I'm not home much... I wish I could do more."

"I've got the magic stuff, Becky. You just be his mom. That's enough."

She hung up and walked over to Ollie. "Okay... So we're going to work on this together, Ollie," she told him. "I just need-"

"Luke, why the hell are you drinking an energy drink?" Jason asked loudly from inside of the house.

Ollie and Sage exchanged a glance before heading inside. Luke was chugging down a Monster like his life depended on it. Luke treated his body as a temple because he was so committed to Martial Arts. Sage was positive he'd never touched an energy drink before.

"That stuff's no good for you," Jason scolded him. He grabbed it out of Luke's hands as Luke desperately tried to gulp the last of it down.

"I just needed a boost of energy," Luke said.

"Maybe if you'd slept last night, you wouldn't be so tired," Jason replied, dumping the last of it out.

"Yeah... Yeah, you're right. Sorry, Dad. I gotta go upstairs." Luke was visibly twitching.

"What the hell?" Ollie asked.

"I have no idea," Jason said.

"Let me check on him," Sage said. She walked upstairs to Luke's room and knocked on the door. "Luke?" She called.

He hesitated before opening his door. Sage could see an energy drink hastily hidden behind his computer. "Luke... What's going on?"

"Nothing. I'm fine!" He said cheerfully.

"Come on, Luke. You don't drink that stuff. Why start now? Why don't you want to sleep?"

He seemed surprised she'd figured that out. "I... I'm just... I'm having nightmares."

Suddenly, Sage was worried this was worse than she'd thought. "Are you waking up hurt? Do you go places?"

"What? No... I just... I see this guy... This monster... And he keeps talking to me... Telling me I have to help him... That I can set him free... That I'm the only one who can."

"Who is he?" Sage asked, fearful she already knew the answer.

"I don't know... He's scary, Sage. He wears armor on his face and his chest, but he has no flesh... It's like he's just raw and exposed."

"Shit..." She whispered.

"You curse?" Luke asked in surprise.

"Occasionally. Luke, honey... You're seeing Lord Zedd. Do you know who he is?"

"Wasn't he a bad guy that got locked up way before I was born?"

"Yes. The Power Rangers locked him away for a reason, along with his wife, Rita Repulsa."

"Yeah... Yeah, he wants me to let both of them out. He swears I can."

Sage wasn't sure why Zedd would think that, but it couldn't mean anything good. Zedd and Rita had been counting on Angie to free them, something she could do because she was related to them. Why would he think Jason's son could free him unless...

"I need to look into something," she said. "No more energy drinks, okay? You're not sleeping any time soon anyway judging from the way you're vibrating, but I can keep Zedd out of your dreams."

He nodded. Sage left to find a quiet place to meditate, hoping the answers would come to her. Help them, a voice whispered.

How? Sage asked. Why is Zedd after Luke? What am I facing here?

They are my descendants. My name is Dimitri Scott. Oliver has inherited my destiny, I fear... And my gift for traveling through the shadow realms. They also come from my beloved wife, Morgana. That is the reason Zedd wants Luke. Morgana's bloodline can free them.

Why? Sage asked. She could tell Dimitri was trustworthy. His spirit felt more protective than anything else.

Because my wife was Rita's mother.

Sage nearly lost the connection to him at those words. Rita's mother? How is that possible? You're telling me that Jason is related to Rita?

Yes, and that blood tie is what they need to be released. You must not allow that to happen. They must be freed at the proper time, when the prison shatters on its own.

I'd prefer they not be freed at all.

Please, Sage... Help the children. They must be protected.

I will, she promised. She decided she would train Vinny and Robby, too, just in case they came into powers of their own. Jason might not be big on the supernatural, but it appeared he needed to learn to open his mind.

She went back to Jason and told him she was taking the boys. "Ollie has powers, Jason. Becky wasn't crazy," she said. "And now, Luke won't sleep because he has them, too."

"Great," Jason said. "Now two of my kids are fucked up."

Sage stared at him, feeling hurt. "Fucked up?" She asked. "Is that what you think people with magic are?"

"Sage, I didn't mean it like that."

"Yes, you did."

"I've just always been skeptical."

"How? How can you be a skeptic when you knew my mother? You knew what she could do, Jason. You know what I can do."

"I'm not as skeptical now-"

"Whatever. I'm helping your sons... But I think I need to get out of here. I'm taking the boys with me to the reservation tomorrow."

"Sage-"

"They need to be protected, and Becky already agreed. Don't argue." She left, trying to ignore how much Jason's words had hurt her. She'd always been the freak, but she didn't think Jason, who she considered part of her family, viewed her that way, too.

TAYLOR

He was freaking out. Being alone was getting to him, and he had a sense something terrible was coming. When he saw his grandfather show up, he wasn't even surprised. "You again? Get a life," he said.

"Insolent boy... I'm going to teach you a lesson," his grandfather said.

"Sure, Gramps. Right after I kick your ancient ass." He had been prepared for a fight, and he had some idea what to do this time. It worked for a bit, but then his grandfather got the upper hand again. He was about to grab Taylor by the throat when the white horse ran at him. His grandfather backed up.

"I will find you alone, Boy, and you'll pay for your attitude!" His grandfather fled again.

Taylor stared at the horse. "Why are you stalking me?" He demanded. "Knock it off. I can handle myself."

The horse let out a cry of protest or annoyance or who knew what. Taylor didn't speak horse and he didn't plan on learning. "Just... Shoo, or whatever, alright? Get lost. Leave me alone."

The horse bowed her head, apparently expecting a nicer response from him after saving his life. "Oh, fine!" Taylor said. He pet her nose briefly. She nudged him with her nose to encourage him to continue. He rolled his eyes, but he began to pet her again. He had to admit, something about that calmed him, but he still didn't trust the horse's intentions. Why was his grandfather so afraid of her? Clearly, this horse had a hidden agenda.

"Hey," Josh said, suddenly appearing. "When did the horse come back?"

"The stalker just showed up a few minutes ago... And now, she can leave," Taylor said.

The horse nudged his hand again. Taylor sighed and gave her a few more pets before she finally galloped away. Josh laughed. "She's persistent, huh?" He asked.

"She's a stalker," Taylor corrected him. "I have no idea how she found me... But whatever. What's up?"

"Listen, Taylor... I talked to Maddie... You need to go home."

"Josh... We talked about this."

"Just hear me out, okay? Your siblings and your mom are with Maddie and her mom. They're really worried about you. Your mom cries all the time, and Tye... The only thing Tye will say is your name, Taylor."

He sighed. "I didn't want to leave her... Or any of them... But they're safer without me."

"Taylor, Tye needs you. Tessa and your mom and even Angie need you. Please go home. They'll be safer with you there to protect them."

"I can't, Josh."

"Please... For me?"

"That's not fair."

"I know. But I'll feel a lot better if I know you're safe."

"I'm fine here."

"The bruise forming on your arm begs to argue."

"My grandfather showed up. That's when the horse came."

"She saved you again?"

"Yeah, I guess. I don't know what her deal is."

"Apparently, she likes you."

"She's got weird taste. I'm not even nice to her."

"Maybe you should be."

"Maybe she should stop stalking me."

Josh laughed. "Look, Taylor... I'm serious. Go home. Please."

Taylor knew he wasn't going to give up. "Fine... But I don't want to."

"Understood. I'll be with you, okay? I'll bring you home, and I'll stay as long as you need me to."

"Okay. Tomorrow, alright? Tonight, I'm too tired, and I don't feel safe going to them yet."

"Alright. Tomorrow." Josh paused. "I'll stay with you tonight."

"Here? No way. You have a house and your own bed to sleep in. You don't need to stay here, in what barely counts as shelter."

"Then come with me."

"What?"

"I'll sneak you in. You can sleep in my bed so you get some real rest before you have to see your family."

"You want me to sleep in your bed?" Taylor raised an eyebrow suggestively.

"I-in a stri-strictly p-platonic sense, of c-course..."

Taylor grinned. "You're kind of adorable when you stutter. Relax, Josh. I was kidding."

"Right. I knew that."

Taylor pulled him closer. Slowly, he kissed him, waiting to see how Josh reacted. Even though Josh had initiated several kisses between them, he still worried he would run away. Josh, however, relaxed in his arms immediately and kissed him back.

Maybe going to my family doesn't have to be so bad, he thought. If he wasn't hiding, he could spend more time with Josh. That was definitely a perk. He was terrified of what would happen when he was reunited with his family, but as long as he still had Josh, he knew he'd be alright.

THREE DAYS LATER.

MADDIE

She was suddenly trembling. Something was very wrong. Maddie looked around, trying to figure out why she was so cold.

Crimson... A disembodied voice whispered in her head.

"Um... I beg your pardon?" Maddie asked aloud.

Crimson... The word itself was odd enough, but the eerie whisper made it creepy. It also filled her with a sense of danger.

"What the hell is going on?" She wondered aloud.

All shall be explained in time, my dear girl... The voice said.

"I'm not your dear anything," Maddie argued.

Crimson... I did not foresee you, but I am so pleased you exist. With that, Maddie felt something touch her. As her energy began to rapidly drain, she fought to keep control of herself, but as someone manifested before her, she collapsed into unconsciousness.

CALEB

Something was bothering him. He could sense trouble in the air. He stepped outside of his house and saw someone standing there. He had blue skin, like Zordon, and Caleb wanted to trust him because of this, but something seemed off.

"Hello, dear boy," the man said. "You have no idea how wonderful it is to see you."

"Have we met?" Caleb asked.

"No, but I assure you, I value your existence greatly." The man touched him. Caleb tried to free himself, but the man's grip was strong.

"You're dead..." He realized as the sense of cold overwhelmed him.

"I am. You can only see me because I took enough energy from someone to appear to you as a spirit... Your energy is remarkable, my boy."

"Let go of me... Please."

"So polite... I fear I cannot, but do not worry, dear boy. Just rest."

"I... No. Let go of me." He felt his energy draining. He was freezing. Everything that kept him alive was draining out of him. "Stop it."

"Shhh... Rest, Caleb. All will be well. Just rest. And know that I am most grateful for your sacrifice."

Before Caleb could do anything else, he blacked out. He felt himself falling into the Underworld. No, he thought. Please, not again. Please... I can't die. I can't leave Thorn. Please...

He struggled to wake his body up as he heard the man speak. "Only your gift of coming back from the dead could restore my body, Caleb. Thank you."

No... He thought. I have to fight this. I have to wake up. He tried, but he became lost in the cold darkness surrounding him and he could no longer feel his body. He couldn't find his way back. He was lost.

RITA

She felt a change in the air that made her freeze in place. The prison cracked, and a single touch would shatter it. They were free... But she knew she could not allow that. She patched the hole as her fear consumed her.

"Did you feel that?" She asked Zedd in terror. He hadn't noticed the crack, but he had stiffened in place as it happened.

"Impossible..." Zedd whispered in horror.

"Zell..." They whispered in unison.

"Don't let him get me, Zeddy..." She begged. For once, Zedd did not dismiss her. Instead, he held her, trembling along with her. If Zell had truly returned, Rita didn't want to be out of their prison any time soon. They would never be safe.

THORN

He had a bad feeling as he headed toward Caleb's house. What he found made his heart stop. "Caleb!" He cried out. Caleb lay collapsed on the ground, unmoving. Thorn pulled him into his arms and desperately checked for a pulse. Only when he realized Caleb still had one did he breathe again.

"Caleb, wake up... Please wake up..." He whispered as he clung to his boyfriend. It was too similar to when he'd lost him. He's breathing, he reminded himself, although his breaths were not as strong as they should have been.

He pulled out his phone and called an ambulance. "Stay with me," Thorn begged him. "Please... Just hang on."

Caleb's parents arrived as the ambulance did. "What happened?" His father, Dan, asked.

"I found him like this," Thorn said. "I... I don't know what happened."

"Caleb!" His mother, Caroline, cried. "Wake up, honey... Please..."

The paramedics began to examine Caleb. "His pulse is weak, but steady... Breathing is not great, but it could be worse. He's fighting," one said.

Yes. Yes, fight... Fight your way back to me, Thorn begged him silently.

They loaded him into the ambulance. His parents let him ride with Caleb while Dan drove. After an eternity of waiting, a doctor came over to them. "He's stable for now," he said, "but unfortunately, Caleb has slipped into a coma."

Thorn felt his knees give out. He sat down along with Caroline. Dan stood strong, trying to hold himself together. "How serious is this? What caused it?"

"We don't know what caused it. Honestly, it's almost as if he's simply too weak to wake up. His body isn't injured and there appears to be no medical cause for his coma."

"How does a healthy boy just slip into a coma?"

"We're running tests. We hope to know more soon."

"Will he wake up?" Caroline asked.

"We can't know for sure... But he's a strong, healthy boy, Ma'am. Don't give up on him yet. There's always hope."

Thorn knew that meant there was a very real possibility that Caleb wouldn't wake up this time. Heartbroken, he did the only thing he could and sent Sage a text message.

At the hospital. Caleb's in a coma. Docs are clueless.

She'd been ignoring him for a while now, so he didn't expect a response, but he needed to tell her anyway. She'd saved Caleb's life. She had a right to know what was happening to him now.

She didn't respond, but ten minutes later, she stood in front of him. "I'm here," she told him. Thorn burst into tears and flung his arms around her. "It's okay... He'll be okay," she promised.

"I can't lose him again," Thorn whispered.

"And you won't."

"You're talking to me."

"You've been punished enough." She hugged him tighter. "I'm sorry. You deserved the silent treatment, but it's over now, okay? I'm here, Thorn. Caleb's going to be okay, and you're not alone, alright?"

He cried into her hair, grateful she'd come to him. He needed her now more than ever.

ANGIE

She was walking home when she encountered a strange man. She was oddly drawn to his power, but she was frightened at the same time. "Angeline..." He whispered.

She looked at him. "How do you know me?" She asked nervously.

"You are gifted, my dear girl. You have such power... I am Zell, of Eltar. I believe you know my son Zordon."

She relaxed slightly. "You're Zordon's father?" She asked.

"I am. You have nothing to fear from me, Angeline."

"Angie," she corrected him. "I prefer Angie."

"Of course." He touched her. Angie stepped back on reflex. He stroked her cheek and it made her uncomfortable.

"I... I should go," she said.

"My dear Angie... You are stunning. On Eltar, you would be worshipped for your magic. They are cruel to you here, aren't they?"

She softened. His words were almost hypnotically soothing. "Yes," she admitted.

"No one would dare mistreat you on Eltar. You deserve to be a queen, not a slave." He touched her again.

"What is it you want from me?" She asked nervously.

"To help you... To comfort you, my dear."

Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with emotion as she remembered all of the cruelty she'd faced in foster care and in school and even from her own father. When Zell pulled her into his arms, she did not resist. She allowed him to comfort her. He was Zordon's father. She could trust him.

"One day, my dear, you will be a queen... Perhaps even my queen."

"Your queen?" She repeated. The alarm bells went off again. Something was very wrong here.

"Indeed. You are stunning, Angeline. You and I would make a beautiful child together."

She pulled away from him. "Back off," she said firmly.

"I did not mean now, of course... But in time-"

"Get away from me, you sick creep!"

He grabbed her arm with unexpected force. "I tried to be nice, but fine! We shall do this your way!" With that, he abducted her into another realm so quickly, she couldn't steady herself at first. He flung her against a wall and Angie cried out in pain as she hit her head. He came at her too quickly, and she had no time to react.

With the little strength she could summon, Angie tried to attack him with a spell. It did nothing. She tried again. It still had no effect. "Why can't I hurt you?" She demanded.

"Because I am far stronger than you are," he replied. With that, he pinned her.

Angie screamed and tried to fight, but he was too strong. Knowing she could not escape, she reverted back to the girl she'd been too often before, in group homes with people who made a living preying on kids. "Please don't..." She begged. "Please... Please..."

"You are not so tough now, are you, my dear?"

"Stop. Please. Stop it."

"No." The one word was filled with such venom, it terrified her. This monster was unlike any she had ever faced, and she was certain she would not escape.

Still, she begged for her freedom. She couldn't let this happen. She didn't want to let him do this to her. She had to fight. She had to survive. "Stop it... Stop, you son of a bitch! Let me go!"

"Shut up!" He said. He slammed her head against the floor and cast a spell which muffled her cries. Powerless to do anything to free herself, Angie began to sob. He was being extremely rough with her because she'd pissed him off. He wasn't going to stop any time soon. She could do little more than whimper as he took what he wanted from her.

"Enjoy it," he whispered cruelly. Then he cast a spell on her so she no longer wanted to fight. "You will do everything I say, Angeline. You will give me a child. You will give me a new, incredibly powerful heir."

Some small part of Angie was able to resist the spell. She used that part of try to project out of that place. Kenny, she thought in desperation. Kenny!

Suddenly, she was in his bedroom. Kenny stared at her in confusion. "Angie?" He asked.

"Help me," she begged. "Please, Kenny." She started sobbing uncontrollably. He held her, but it wasn't real. She was only an illusion, manifesting as strongly as she could, but not actually there in the safety of his arms.

"What's wrong?" He asked. "Angie, please... You're scaring me."

"I need help... He has me... He's... He won't... He won't stop, Kenny." She cried harder, too scared to explain anything else.

"Who, Angie? Who has you?"

"Zordon's father. He took me out of this realm... And he... I have to escape, Kenny. Please help me."

"Of course, but how?" He didn't question why Zordon's father would have abducted her or why she was so scared. She appreciated that he believed her immediately.

"I don't know-" Suddenly, she felt Zell focusing all of his energy on her stomach. "No..." She whispered. "Please, no... I can't..."

"Angie... Angie, focus. What's happening?"

She couldn't focus because a vision took over her mind. Angie wasn't prone to visions, but it seemed the baby was, and what she saw terrified her more than anything. The thing Zell had put inside of her was no innocent baby, but an entity of pure evil whose power levels would make him unstoppable.

"No!" She screamed. "I can't... I can't... I have to stop this..."

"Angie, talk to me!" Kenny begged.

"He got me pregnant," she sobbed. "And it's evil, Kenny. It's pure evil, and I can't let it be born or... Or it will destroy everything..." The realization hurt her. Could she really destroy a baby? Her baby?

It's evil, a voice whispered to her. Be strong, Angeline. You cannot let this happen.

Who are you? Angie asked in her mind.

My name is Morgana. Please, Angie... You must stop this. I know it is hard, but there is no other choice.

She knew the voice was right. Angie looked at Kenny. "I need energy," she said.

"Take it. Take whatever you need. Take all of my energy if you have to," Kenny said.

"I love you," she whispered. She hadn't told him that before, but she needed to now. It might be her last chance.

"I love you, too," he replied.

Angie began draining his energy, careful to only take what she needed. She focused it on her womb and did the only thing she could... She forced a miscarriage.

She screamed in agony, suddenly in too much pain to do anything else. Kenny held her manifestation and tried to comfort her, but she was too weak to stay. She began to twitch violently and realized that in killing the monster, she had caused her body to lose too much blood. She was going to die. Her manifestation failed and she was fully back in her body as she blacked out.

KENNY

He didn't know what to do as panic seized him. Finally, Kenny made a desperate choice. "Please don't let this backfire," he whispered. "Rita! Rita Repulsa! I need to talk to you!"

He didn't think it would work, but suddenly, an irritated woman appeared before him. She wasn't solid like Angie had been, but she was visible. "Can I help you, Pinky?" She asked in agitation.

"Please... Angie's in trouble," he blurted out.

"What? What do you mean? Where is my daughter?" Rita asked, her entire tone changing.

"Someone has her, Rita... She said... She said he was Zordon's father."

Rita paled. She actually looked frightened. "No..." She whispered.

"Please, Rita. She always says you care about her... Prove that's true. Help her. She's hurt. I think... I think she's dying. He got her pregnant, and she tried to get rid of it, and..."

"He did what?" She demanded. The rage came and went quickly. "My poor girl..." She whispered. "That bastard... That absolute bastard!" She was angry again.

"Can you help her?"

"I can save her, but I can't be with her for long. You need to help her, Kenny. You're the only one she will let in." She shook her head. "Take care of her. What she just went through, and what she had to do... She won't just bounce back from that."

Rita vanished and Kenny waited for Angie to come back to him. His heart broke for her, but he vowed to be there for her no matter what she needed. He was exhausted from the energy she'd drained from him, but he knew a nap would cure that. Until then, he would try to stay awake so he could protect her when she did return.

RITA

She was terrified as she saw Zell in the flesh. He didn't see her because she kept her manifestation invisible. He was throwing things around the room and cursing her daughter for daring to murder his offspring. He was too distracted by his temper tantrum to actually look at Angeline. Rita reached her and whispered in her mind, Be strong, my daughter... I am here with you.

Mom? Angeline asked as she struggled to regain consciousness while still losing blood.

Yes. I am going to heal you, and send you to your Pink Ranger. You'll be safe with him... The boy loves you. I can see that. He will protect you.

Mom... I...

I know, Angeline. I am so sorry. I'll make him pay for this.

Rita began to heal her daughter. The physical injuries would be easy to fix, but the emotional wounds would scar her, possibly for the rest of her life. Rita knew that well. When she'd been much younger, Zell had tried to do the same thing to her. Instead, after she successfully attacked him with her magic, he had turned her evil. She was still terrified of him, but her need to protect her daughter was stronger than that fear.

I love you, Angeline, she told her.

Even though I ran away?

Even still. Be safe. Help is coming. With that, Rita cast a protection spell on her so Zell would not be able to reach her. It wouldn't last long, but hopefully help would reach her while it was still up. Rita fled before Zell could realize she had been there. She was not ready to face him, and she might never be, but at least her daughter was safe for now.

ZORDON

He could feel the familiar chaos in the air, the type only one entity could cause. "No... It cannot be," he said aloud.

"Is something wrong, Zordon?" Alpha asked.

He couldn't deny what he knew in his heart. Somehow, after all of this time, his father was alive. "I fear that it is, Alpha," he replied. "Excuse me." He hurried off, determined to figure out what had happened and if he was correct.

As soon as he stepped outside of the Command Center, he saw a familiar and unexpected face. "Caius?" He asked.

"Zordon," Caius replied.

"In the flesh."

"And not in a tube... It has been a while since I was able to do this." Caius hugged him.

"You look distressed."

"You know why I am here."

"I do... I just don't know how it is possible."

"He found my son, Zordon... And he has drained him of his life force and his power so that he could make the journey back from the Underworld."

Zordon felt panic threatening to take control of him, but he forced it down. He was no longer a young boy. He could stand up to his father. After all, he'd killed the bastard once. He could do it again if he had to... Couldn't he?

"Where is your son, Caius?" Zordon asked.

"Currently in the hospital... But he is here in Angel Grove," Caius replied.

"Oh my... Caleb?"

"How did you know?"

"I suspected, honestly. He looks so much like you did around his age, Caius... And he journeyed back from the dead as you did."

"I know. I felt it... And I know it was one of the Mystics who saved him."

"The term is Shaman now, but yes."

"I believe the girl is a descendant of my Rose."

"I do see that sort of spirit in her. You may be right. Her mother was the same way."

"Are she and my son together?"

Zordon smiled. "No, Caius," he said. "The boy is with her brother... Another descendant of Rose."

Caius laughed suddenly. "That is why Rose laughed in the Underworld God's face when he said no daughter of hers would ever be with a son of mine! Oh, how clever the Universe is at times!"

"Caleb would be pleased you are not opposed."

"All I ever wanted was for my boy to be happy... It does not matter what or who makes him happy, only that he finds the joy I never could."

"He has."

"I'm afraid he is in a fragile state... He... He may not survive."

"He is yours, Caius. He's far tougher than people realize."

Caius nodded. "There must be other descendants, Zordon. We have to find them. These children are the key to stopping him, and until they come together, they are in terrible danger."

Zordon sighed. "I have suspicions on some of them. I chose several people to be my Power Rangers because of their last names. Dimitri's descendant has many children, but I would assume the legacy would pass to Ollie, the eldest son. Raven is more difficult... The descendant I put on my team was Zack, but his children are young... Even the eldest, Tamira, is barely a teenager."

"Does she have his light?"

"It is difficult to say. I do not know the girl."

"I think it is time you meet her. Who else have you found?"

"Well... Xia's descendant would most likely be Tia. She has the portal power, although the ability to talk to animals seems to have gone to her younger sister who is far too young to be Chosen. I believe she also possesses much of Xia's magical affinity." He paused. "I do not know who might inherit Quin's gifts. His descendant, Trini, does not live in this country. I know nothing of her children."

"That complicates matters."

"Indeed. I know for certain who must have inherited Morgana's legacy." Zordon tried not to think of Rita. It still hurt to remember who she had once been. Even after all of this time, he still had nothing but love in his heart for her, but she'd forced him to fight her for the sake of the greater good. "Rita has a daughter, Angeline. She's quite powerful, and I believe she is the one."

Caius smiled. "Rita has a daughter. Good," he said.

"With Zedd." It hurt him to say that. He'd once loved Zedd as a brother, but his father had ruined all of that by tricking him into turning evil.

"Oh my... I did not see that coming."

"They are married." Zordon shook his head and laughed. "He locked Rita away, and when she escaped, she drugged him with a love potion and made him marry her so she could rule over everything herself."

Caius smiled. "Well, that's certainly innovative."

"Indeed. You hadn't heard?"

"I tried my best to stay out of Zedd's affairs. Honestly, it hurts to see all the harm he caused."

"I understand. If I could have looked away, I would have, but I had to protect the innocent."

"I know." Caius paused. "Zordon... Does Zedd have other descendants besides Angeline?"

"Yes. He has several offspring, but only two remind me of him. One is pure evil, worse than Zedd even. He is all that is dark inside of his father."

"And the other?"

Zordon smiled sadly. "Could be Zedd himself from before my father turned him."

"Xia must have done something to guard his light."

"She wouldn't be Xia if she hadn't."

"The boy possesses all that was once good inside of Zedd... He could be Chosen, Zordon."

"Zedd was never meant to be one of us."

"Xia let us believe that, but I suspect there was more to it. I think he was meant to be one of us, and I believe his son is the key to the children succeeding this time."

"That may be a problem. Taylor was presumed dead until recently. He just went home two days ago. I do not know how much the boy can handle."

"If he is Zedd's son, he can handle this. He is meant to."

Zordon felt his head start to hurt. Suddenly, a message reached him. Send Jason to this spot. His daughter is being drained of her life force and my daughter was attacked.

"Rita..." He whispered in surprise. She hadn't sent him a message like that in ages. He shook off his shock. Maddie and Angeline were in danger. "Excuse me, Caius." He hurried inside. "Alpha! Teleport Jason here now."

"Yes, Zordon," Alpha said, doing just that.

"Whoa! Um... Hi, Zordon... Alpha..." Jason said. "What's up?"

"Jason, there is little time to explain... A very dangerous entity has Maddie," Zordon said.

"Is it Tanner?" Jason asked, automatically reaching for the nearest gun.

"Not this time... I fear this is much worse."

"Worse than that bastard?"

"It is my father, Jason. My father has Maddie, and he is draining her... He also has Angie."

Jason paled. "Your father?"

"My evil father, yes. You must go after them. He will not expect it."

"Okay... What sort of gun will help me here?"

"None. You'd only shoot yourself. Trust me, just go and grab the girls. We will get you out of there."

Jason nodded. "Okay. Send me."

"Aye-yi-yi..." Alpha said. "Sending you now... Be careful, Jason!"

Zordon knew that would not be enough. Jason's only saving grace might be the element of surprise. Please keep him safe, he thought. Keep them all safe...

JASON

He found them easily enough. Maddie was hooked up to a machine of some sort. Jason quickly unhooked her and checked her vitals. Her pulse was steady, but she was unconscious. "I'll be right back," he promised. Then he began to search for Angie.

He found her lying in a pool of blood, and at first, he thought she was dead. Then, he heard her whimpering. He knelt beside her and Angie shrank away, terrified. "No..." She whispered. "Please, no more..."

"Angie... Angie, honey, it's Jason," he said. "I won't hurt you. You know I won't."

"Please... Please leave me alone..." She sobbed.

Jason gently inched closer to her. Finally, he pulled her into his arms. Angie began to sob hysterically as he held her. "It's okay, Sweetheart," he said. "You're safe." He could tell from the shape of her clothes and all of the blood that something horrible had happened and someone had hurt her. He carried her in his arms until he reached Maddie again. "Angie... Can you walk?" He asked.

She was still trembling violently, but she nodded. "Okay. Stay right by my side, okay? I've got to carry Maddie." He set her down on her feet and picked up his daughter. "Now, Alpha!" He called.

Alpha teleported them back to the Command Center. At the sight of Zordon, Angie began sobbing again. She curled up in a ball in the smallest corner she could find and started rocking.

Zordon looked heartbroken. He knelt beside her, keeping a decent amount of distance. "Angie... I know what he must have done to you. I am not my father. I will not harm you. Please, let us help you. You may need a healer."

"My mother healed me..." Angie whispered.

Zordon nodded. "Alright. You can stay there as long as you need to in order to feel safe, and then we will send you wherever you want to go."

"Kenny..." She whispered.

"We can teleport you to him if you like."

She nodded. "Please..." She said.

"Okay." With that, Zordon sent her away.

"She's in bad shape," Jason said. "And Maddie... She's weak, Zordon."

"She'll recover. He wasn't trying to harm her... I think he needs energy to do things right now. He has none of his own."

"What do I do?"

"Let her sleep. Put her in a bed and cover her, and she'll be fine. She just needs rest."

Jason nodded. "Alright. I'll take her back to my place. She's got a room there, and I don't want to bring her to her mom right now."

"We will send you both home. Thank you for retrieving the girls, Jason."

"One of them is my kid and the other one's a nice girl whose entire life has been hell. I wasn't going to just leave them there."

He was teleported home. He tucked Maddie into bed without any of his sons seeing her. Unable to stand the thought of leaving her alone, Jason stayed by her side for the rest of the night.

ANGIE

She was suddenly in Kenny's bedroom, for real this time. Kenny saw her and ran to her. "Angie! Are you al-?" He looked at her clothing and paled. "Oh God... Angie..."

She flung her arms around him and began to cry all over again. "Just hold me," she whispered. "Please."

Kenny did, allowing her to cry until she had no tears left. After that, she asked, "Can I... Um... Can I shower please? I'm covered in blood."

He nodded. "You need clean clothes," he said. "Let me raid my mom's closet."

She was trembling just at the idea of being alone, but she couldn't exactly ask Kenny to stay with her. "Is she here?" She asked.

"Yeah, she's in her room."

"Can you get her for me?"

"Of course." Kenny hurried off. When he returned with Kimberly, Angie struggled not to start crying again.

"I've got her, Kenny," Kimberly said. "Go on. I'll come get you later."

Kenny looked at Angie. She nodded, so he left. When she was alone with Kimberly, she looked at her with tears in her eyes. "I didn't know who else to ask for," she said.

"Oh, sweetheart... It's okay," Kimberly said. "I'll stay with you for as long as you need me to."

Angie slowly got undressed before stepping into the shower. Kimberly sat down on the bathroom floor while Angie washed the blood off of her body. She forced herself not to think about Zell or what he'd done to her as she cleaned herself up. Finally, she stepped out. Kimberly immediately wrapped her in a warm, fluffy pink bathrobe. It was definitely not something Angie would have normally worn, but it was extremely comforting now. Kimberly helped her dry her hair before guiding her back to her bedroom. She looked through the closet for a minute before pulling out a comfortable looking pair of pajamas that had the added perk of completely covering Angie up.

"You can stay with me tonight if you need to," Kimberly said.

"No... I'm okay, I think," Angie said. "Thank you. I just didn't want to be alone."

"You're not alone, honey. We're all here for you."

Angie nodded. "Is it okay if I crash with Kenny tonight? I promise nothing inappropriate will happen, believe me... But I feel safer with him."

"I trust you. And I'm sure that's the last thing on your mind right now. Go on. Kenny's an excellent snuggler, too."

Angie allowed Kimberly to walk her to Kenny's room. Once they were alone, she crawled into bed and let him hold her. She forced herself to think only of his arms. She didn't want to sleep knowing nightmares very likely awaited her, but being with Kenny calmed her enough that she gave in to her exhaustion and tried to rest anyway.

TWO DAYS LATER.

CALEB

He was terrified and still lost in the void. Caleb was positive he would be stuck there forever when he suddenly saw a brilliant light.

"I found him!" A voice declared. The person radiating the light suddenly took his hand, and it steadied him. He could think straight again.

"Don't let go!" Another voice said. A man carrying a torch joined them. Caleb soon realized the torch was not a torch at all, but a ball of fire. "Hi," the man said. "I'm Quin, and that's Raven. We're here to help... Son of Caius."

"Son of who?" Caleb asked in confusion. Sure, he knew he'd been adopted, but who the hell was Caius and why did these ghosts know him?

"Caius. Don't you know?" The one called Raven asked.

"Of course he doesn't, boys!" A woman with a British accent said. "Caius had to give him away to protect him. Don't you keep up?"

"Sorry, Xia," Quin said. "I forgot."

"Hello, Caleb," another man said. He carried himself like a warrior and was a bit intimidating. "I am Dimitri. We were all friends of your father once."

"We are here to protect and guide you," another woman said. She looked familiar, and Caleb realized she shared several features with Angie. "I am Morgana. It is an honor to meet you."

"An honor? Why?" Caleb asked.

"We weren't sure you'd ever arrive," The one called Xia said with a laugh. "Your poor father spent several millennia in mourning before he finally let your mother in."

"Millennia? What do you mean? This doesn't make sense."

"Caius is immortal," Raven provided helpfully.

"It wasn't his choice, though. Zell forced it, probably so he'd live long enough to produce an heir. That'd be you, Kid," Quin said cheerfully.

"Your father is an honorable man, Caleb," Dimitri said.

"Look, all I know about my birth parents is that my mom died in an accident, and I was born pretty much dead, and even after I made what was apparently one heck of an effort to live, my father still gave me away. He couldn't be bothered to keep me. It's fine, though. I love my parents. They're the greatest," Caleb said. He was fairly well-adjusted for a kid who'd been given up, but that was because he was lucky. His parents really were great people.

"He wanted you, Caleb," Morgana said gently. "More than you can possibly know."

"He has a funny way of showing it."

"You'll never know unless you return to your body," Xia said.

"I'd love to, but I have no idea how to get back there... I'm stuck here."

"That, sweet Caleb, is why you have us. Come, my friends. Let us return Caleb to the world of the living."

"Take a message back," Dimitri said. "Zell has returned."

"He used me to do it, didn't he?" Caleb asked.

"Yes, but it is not your fault. It was always going to be this way," Quin said. "Just warn the others, Caleb. You do not have much time."

Suddenly, Caleb felt all of them touching him. Normally, being touched by that much death would freeze him beyond repair, but now, it was comforting. They dragged him through the void. The Death God who'd been after him before was coming for him now.

"Go!" Xia said. "You are not meant to die."

Caleb looked at the spirits who had just saved his life. "Thank you," he said. Then he dove through the opening Xia had created in the veil. He landed straight in his body.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes. He could see Thorn sitting at his bedside, crying while Sage stroked his hair. Caleb squeezed Thorn's hand.

"Caleb?" Thorn asked. "He's awake! Sage, he's awake!"

"I can see that," Sage said with a laugh. "Welcome back, Caleb." She stuck her head out to call a doctor in.

After a few minutes, the doctor removed the machines he was hooked up to. His vitals remained steady. His parents came in and hugged him. His mother sobbed openly with relief. His father looked like he might join her.

"I'm okay," he promised them all. He looked at Thorn and mouthed, I love you. Thorn mouthed it back as Sage held his hand.

Caleb knew he couldn't stay there for long. He needed to deliver the message the spirits had given him. He knew they didn't have much time before Zell became an even bigger threat, and considering they were already dealing with Zedd and Rita, who knew what would happen if Zell threw himself into the mix?

Looking at Thorn, Caleb found his strength. They could do this. They would survive this, whatever happened. He and Thorn had fought too hard to survive everything else. He wasn't about to give up now.


	19. Chapter Nineteen

SAGE

Now that Caleb was awake and recovered, Sage was devoting all of her time to helping Jason's boys learn magic. She brought Troy with her, too. Although he had never been trained, Troy had apparently taken his Shaman journey at the age of twelve. He'd admitted to Sage that his foster father had beaten him literally within an inch of his life. He'd spent three weeks in a coma before finally fighting his way back, and ever since, he'd had gifts. He had visions, including a vision of fighting alongside every previous generation of Power Rangers before he ever became one himself.

It broke something in Sage to know what her son had been through. She hadn't wanted to lose him at all, but knowing he'd been abused made it so much worse. She couldn't be with him then, but she was determined to be there for him now.

Ollie was a surprisingly quick learner. Now that he knew what he could do, he was eager to learn to control it. Being Jason's son, he had his father's discipline when he chose to, and he excelled at any task he attempted to complete. Luke was even more disciplined than his older brother, and he had mastered meditation as a toddler, so it was easy for Sage to open his mind up to magic. Vinny was quiet and respectful. He tried to cooperate as much as he could, although he didn't have an active ability yet. Sage was able to teach him some basic magic, which seemed to excite him. He had thought magic only existed in books. Robby was more hyperactive than anyone she knew aside from Zeke, but Luke could usually get him to focus even if no one else could. As such a young kid, Robby was completely open to learning, and it was easy to teach him, too.

Sage might be upset with Jason, but she adored his boys. The more time she spent with them, the more attached she became. As Vinny managed to make a stone vanish in his hand and reappear a moment later, Sage felt extremely proud of him. Vinny gasped in surprise. "How did I do that?" He asked.

"You're a quick learner," Sage said with a smile.

"But it disappeared! How is that even possible? Matter does not just vanish!"

Sage laughed. Sometimes, Vinny really reminded her of Josh at his age. "It's amazing that, even with your scientific, logic-based mind, you can do magic so easily. You have it inside of you, Vinny."

"Where does it come from, though?"

"Believe it or not, your father. I'm still looking into things, but your father's family once had great magic in it. I'm not sure why they stopped practicing, but apparently, the gifts that went dormant in previous generations have woken up in you and your brothers."

"So it's genetic? Like a recessive gene that suddenly became dominant?"

"Exactly." She smiled. She'd learned how to break things down scientifically years ago because of Josh. Sometimes, science was the only thing that made sense to him.

"Sage! Sage, look!" Robby called excitedly. He closed his eyes and started levitating into the air. Sage was stunned. So far, Robby had not shown an individual gift, but this was new. "If I wanna fly, I just start to do it!"

"Okay, Spaceman, time to come back down to Earth," Sage said. She took his hand and guided him back to the ground. Robby was hard enough to keep up with on the ground. Levitating away might be an issue and Sage knew she had to stop him before he floated away to God only knew where.

Ollie reappeared suddenly. Sage handed Robby off to Troy, saying, "Keep his feet on the ground." Then she ran to Ollie, who was gasping for breath. "Ollie? Are you okay?"

Ollie collapsed at her feet in response. Sage examined him for injuries, hoping Troy could keep the younger three boys distracted. She found the issue fairly quickly. Ollie had been stabbed in his side. She set to work on healing him, and finally, Ollie opened his eyes.

"Zell..." He said with a cough.

"What?" Sage asked.

"I was walking through the shadows, and he grabbed me... He pulled me somewhere, and he stabbed me and tried to take my blood, but I ran. He barely got any. I jumped back here."

"He wanted your blood?"

"It seems that way. I don't know if the dude's a vampire or what, but that seriously hurt... Thanks for healing me."

"He isn't a vampire... Blood is powerful. He could be using it for a spell. Ollie, this is bad."

"Like I said, he barely got any. I don't think he expected me to be able to get away."

"He doesn't know I'm training you, so he underestimated you. He probably won't do that again."

Sage was very worried this might indicate a much bigger problem to come. She didn't want to scare Ollie, however, so she kept herself outwardly calm.

MADDIE

Crimson...

There it was again. Maddie shuddered, feeling cold. She couldn't remember much about getting abducted by Zordon's father, but she could still hear the word in her head every time he thought about her. What the hell did it mean? It wasn't even her color. She was the Yellow Ranger. Why did he keep calling her Crimson?

She needed to do something to distract herself, so Maddie took a chance and went to Zeke's house. Rocky looked confused when he opened the door. "Maddie? Hi, sweetie... Did Zeke call you?"

"No, but... I was hoping I could see him?" Maddie asked.

"Zeke's sort of going through something right now, Maddie... But I can tell him you-"

"Dad, it's okay," Zeke said. He appeared in the doorway and Maddie was relieved to see him. She had been so worried about him since he quit the team and vanished. School was back in session and he hadn't gone back yet. "Hey, Maddie. Come on in."

"Are you sure, Zeke?" Rocky asked.

"Yeah, Dad. I'm okay."

Rocky nodded and left them alone. "Should I be offended?" Maddie asked. "Your dad seemed pretty against this."

"I haven't let anyone around me except for Sage," Zeke said. "Maddie... I have to tell you something." He led her up to his room.

"Talk to me, Zeke. What's been going on?"

"You know the day I tried to stop Tanner from grabbing you?"

She shuddered. "Yeah..."

"Something happened. I... I think Tanner picked up on something because he's an incubus... Something I never told anyone."

"What is it?"

"Maddie... It's really hard for me to talk about this. I've just barely started to talk to my shrink."

Maddie knew it must be bad if Zeke was talking to a therapist. He hated them. "Take your time, Zeke. I'm here for you."

"I know you are." He took a deep breath. "When I was nine, my mom... My mom started treating me like her husband instead of her kid."

She stared at him. He couldn't mean... "Zeke... What did she do to you?"

"She... We... I... " He sighed. "This is harder than I thought it would be... But you deserve to know. You're important to me, Maddie."

"If you aren't ready to talk-"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. Maddie... The night Tanner grabbed you, I... I tried to kill myself."

"What?!" She asked. That was the absolute last thing she had expected him to say. "Oh my God, Zeke... I don't understand. How could you do that? Why would you do that?" The realization that she could have lost him hit her hard. She couldn't stop herself from tearing up.

"Because Tanner found my weakness, Maddie. He trapped me in my memories, and when I woke up, my mom was with me. I know that wasn't a coincidence... And she... We had... She made me... I..." He started crying.

"Zeke..." Maddie cried with him, holding him close to her. "You don't have to say it."

"She used me... Like she used to... She raped me," he whispered, "and she let some guy I never even saw do it, too, and I understand if you never want to speak to me again because I'm weak and disgusting, but-"

"You are not weak or disgusting! You're still Zeke. I'm so sorry she did that to you..."

"I have a half-sister... I rescued her from them. The thing is, she's not just my sister... She's my kid. And I'm calling her Lilly... Lillian Casey, technically... But Dad and I haven't told her the truth because she's so young and I'm not ready to be a dad and I'm a total mess and I get it if you never want to see me again after all this-"

"Zeke! Breathe. Okay? Take a deep breath." He did. "I'm not going anywhere, so stop pushing me away."

"I didn't know Lilly was mine when I did it... I just knew I was hurt and I couldn't make it stop this time. I just... I wanted it to stop, Maddie... I'm so sorry..."

She wrapped him in her arms. "Don't apologize, Zeke... You just needed help." Her heart broke. Zeke had never shown the slightest hint of how deep his pain had been. "I still love you," she promised.

Zeke hesitated before kissing her. Maddie was stunned, but thrilled he'd done it. She'd wanted to kiss him for a while, but she had been pretty uncertain about his feelings toward her. This clarified them pretty well.

When he finally pulled away, Zeke looked a lot better. He even managed a smile. "Wow..." He mumbled.

"Zeke, I'm totally cool with this, but... I mean... Are you sure you want to kiss me? After everything you just told me-" She began.

"Maddie... I've wanted to kiss you for months," he said. "You're the only one I want to kiss... Unless you're not interes-"

Maddie cut him off with another kiss. Zeke pulled her as close as he could, really getting into the kiss. Maddie had kissed boys before. Hell, she wasn't even a virgin anymore... But no guy had ever felt like Zeke did. She could definitely get used to this.

"I love you," he told her. "I just didn't want to fuck up our friendship."

"Nothing could do that," Maddie promised. "Let's not label it... But even if whatever this is doesn't work out, I'm always going to be your friend, Zeke. I'm here for you no matter what."

He kissed her again. Maddie happily lost herself in his arms, ignoring everything else as she focused on his lips, his touch, his heartbeat...

"It's beautiful," she said.

"What is?" Zeke asked.

"Your heartbeat... So you need to keep it, okay?" She kissed him again before saying, "I can't lose you, Zeke."

"You won't," he promised. "I can't do that to you, or my Dad... I realize that now. I broke my dad, Maddie. He's terrified all the time that I'll be stupid again. He keeps my meds now so I can't try to take them all at once again... He won't let me wash any knives or anything I can break and use to hurt myself. He stays with me most nights to make sure I don't try anything... And when he thinks I'm not watching... He cries, Maddie. I did that to him. I made my dad cry. I refuse to make it any worse. Besides... The kid needs me. And she's really cute and trusting and people will hurt her again if I'm not around to protect her. So I have to stay." He paused. "And given what we just started exploring, I have another pretty compelling reason to stick around."

She smiled before kissing him again. She couldn't believe they hadn't done this sooner. We were idiots, she thought. I'm not wasting anymore time. You never know how much you have left...

TAYLOR

He was surprised when Angie actually came home. "I thought you were staying with Kenny," he said.

"I needed space," Angie said softly. "And he deserves a break from my drama." She tried to walk by him. Taylor suddenly felt entirely too much on her.

In a flash that hit him like a truck, he knew everything that had happened to his sister, including what she'd had to do. "Who is he?" He demanded.

"What?" Angie asked.

"The bastard who did that to you! Who is he? I'll fucking kill him."

Angie shrank away from him. Taylor took a deep breath, realizing his rage was scaring her. "Angie... I'm sorry. Whoever he is, I'll make him pay," he said gently.

She started crying. Taylor wasn't sure what to do, so he just reacted, pulling her closer even though she stiffened. Don't be scared, he thought. You're safe. I won't hurt you.

Angie started to relax slightly. She allowed him to hold her. "I mean it, Angie. I'll kill the bastard," he said again.

"You can't," Angie said softly. "He's too strong. He'll hurt you."

"I took on our father. I can handle this prick, too."

"He's different, Taylor... He's not like anyone I've ever seen... And he's... He's Zordon's father."

"What? Why the hell didn't Zordon warn us his father was a lunatic pervert with superpowers?"

"He apparently admitted it to the Power Rangers, but that was recent... And we're not Power Rangers. He had no reason to warn us. Besides, according to Kenny, he was dead. He used Caleb to bring himself back."

Taylor paled. He'd never met Caleb. He intentionally avoided him so the guy wouldn't constantly be reminded of what Taylor had done to Thorn while he was dead. Everything he knew about Caleb was that he was basically the nicest person on the planet and that just made him feel worse about what he'd done. Just the flashes he'd seen in Thorn's head that night made Taylor care about Caleb. The kid had gotten a rough deal.

"Is Caleb okay?" He asked.

"He almost wasn't. By the time Thorn found him, he was unconscious, and he slipped into a coma for a couple of days, but yeah, he's okay now... Mostly just freaked out by it all."

"What a dick, going after Caleb... I mean, from what I hear, the guy wouldn't hurt a fly."

"He wouldn't. Caleb's a sweetheart. He even tried telling the bullies at school to back off the one time he caught them picking on me. He didn't even know me, but he tried to help. I hate that my mom had Katherine kill him... He didn't deserve that. I don't know why she did it. I don't even know if she knows why. She kept rambling about hating how happy he and Thorn were and having to destroy them..."

"They're annoyingly cute together. I guess it bugged her. I mean, she's stuck with our father, who has never loved anyone a day in his life. He only loves power."

"Maybe that's it. I don't know... My mom gets conflicted I think. Yeah, she's evil, but she has the ability to love... I know it. She saved me, Taylor. She was scared of him... I could tell that much, but she still saved me. She protected me from him long enough for Jason to find me and Maddie and get us out."

"I know she loves you. She protected you from Dad... That's why I hated you... Sorry about that, but I thought you were safe and sheltered and some pampered princess... I had no idea what you'd been through... So, wait... He attacked Maddie, too?"

"He kidnapped her and drained her energy to give himself more power, but he didn't... He..."

"She wasn't raped."

"Right. She was unconscious. Isn't she back here?"

"She's been staying with Jason since it happened. Tanya didn't tell us she was attacked. I guess she figured it wasn't her place."

"Taylor... Thanks for offering to kill him."

"You're my sister. He hurt you."

She hugged him. The random display of affection surprised him. Not many people hugged Taylor. Tye clung to him, but that was more to comfort herself. Tessa was the same way. Imani hugged him, but she hugged everyone, so he didn't think much of that. Tia was not one for public displays of affection. She didn't really hug anyone, so he didn't take offence. His mother, though... He noticed she hugged all of the girls all the time, but she wouldn't hug Taylor. She kept him at a distance. He supposed he deserved that. He'd let everyone believe he was dead... Still, she was his mother, and there were occasional nights when he could have really used a hug, even if he refused to admit it.

Josh hugs you, he thought. Why did he need anyone else's arms when he had Josh's? Still, Angie's hug was comforting. He let himself snuggle against her as she said, "I'm really glad you're my brother."

"You are?" He asked in surprise.

"I've never had someone care about me until recently... Any foster brothers I had were either terrified of me or they were creeps... When I was six, one family that took me in had a fourteen-year-old and he saw me using magic, so he brought his friends over to show them... And then he let them take turns doing things to me..." She shook her head.

"Angie... I'm sorry. I really was an asshole to you. I had no idea... You hid it so deep, I didn't sense it."

"I know. It's okay, Taylor. My point is, it's nice to have a brother I know won't do that to me."

"You trust me?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"I've done a lot..."

"Not to me. You saved me, Taylor. You're a good person."

"I don't think other people believe that."

"Josh does. I can tell he really cares about you."

"Josh is different... We just... We get each other." He sighed. "Angie, I think I made a mistake coming here."

"You belong here with us."

"I don't think I do. My mom... She just... She doesn't get me. Oh, and she's making me enroll in school. I mean... Why?"

Angie laughed. "Because it's required by law. Tia, Tessa, and Mani are enrolling, too."

"Why can't I stay home like Tye?"

"Tye's too emotionally traumatized to function in school with mainstream kids. Tanya helped your mom prove that. You're not, so you have to go to school. It's not that bad..."

"Really?"

"No, high school sucks. Kids are jerks... But I'll be there, and Tia will be there, and Josh will be there... You'll make friends."

"Do you have friends?"

"I didn't... Except for Josh... But now I have the Power Rangers."

"I don't think I can call them my friends. They probably hate me."

"You'd be surprised. Give them a shot, Taylor. They have an amazing ability to give people second chances."

"How did we end up talking about me?"

"It's a better subject than my drama."

"Angie... Will you be okay?"

"Sure," she said too quickly.

"Be honest... Just with me, at least."

"Just with you... No, Taylor. I don't think I'm going to be okay," she said softly.

"Then I'll help you until you are," Taylor promised. He poured soothing energy into his sister, hoping it would help. She let him hold her for a minute before she walked away.

Taylor walked to the living room. His mother was sitting in the recliner snuggling Imani and Tessa, who'd both crawled into the chair with her. She barely even looked at him. He sat down on the couch. "So..." He said. "When does this school thing start?"

"Tomorrow," Imani said cheerfully. "Me and Tessa go to one and you and Tia go to another, with Angie and Maddie."

"Great."

"Tanya will drive you," his mother said.

"Okay."

"Vinny goes to school with me," Imani said. "And Luke's in Tessa's grade."

"Who? Oh, right. Jason's kids."

"Yup! Ollie's in your school, though."

Taylor had never met Ollie, but he smiled at his baby sister anyway. It was weird that the youngest sibling he had had existed longer than him, but he was pretty used to weird at this point.

"Mama let me pick out my own stuff for school," Tessa said shyly. She got up and grabbed a purple bag and some kind of notebook with unicorns and hearts on it.

"Was I supposed to do that?" Taylor asked.

"You weren't here. Hopefully, those will do." His mother pointed toward a black backpack and a plain black folded thing with paper inside.

"What's that?" He asked.

"A binder and paper to take notes," his mother replied. "And pens, of course."

"With black ink. Okay," he said as he looked everything over, sensing a theme.

Tia stood in the doorway frowning. "Come with me," she told him.

Taylor shrugged and followed her. "Forget those," she said. "Everyone should have a bit of color. Here. You like blue, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Taylor said. Blue reminded him of Josh. It was comforting to him. The backpack and binder Tia held up were the same color as his Ranger gear.

"Take mine. I do not mind black."

"Tia, you don't have to-"

"I believe the words you are looking for are 'thank you,' Little Brother," she said with a laugh.

He cracked a smile. "Thanks."

Tia led him back outside, collecting his former school supplies for herself. "Taylor... Be careful tomorrow, alright? Keep your head down and don't get into any trouble," his mother said.

"I'll be fine, Mom," he replied.

"You can't use your abilities there. People won't understand... And you might hurt someone."

"I can control it, Mom. I won't hurt anyone."

"But as an incubus, you are charming... You can't use that. It's immoral to use those powers to get what you want."

Taylor frowned. "I can't always control that... People just react to me."

"Promise me, Taylor. You can't feed that side, okay? And you can't manipulate people."

He felt hurt, but he kept that to himself. His mother was asking him to deny a huge part of himself. She doesn't want me to be like Dad and Tanner, he thought. She has every right to ask me not to do those things... She's afraid of me. It hurt to realize that, but he closed his eyes and took a breath and said, "Okay, Mom. I'll do my best."

"Mama, they have to feed it sometimes," Tia pointed out. "Tye and Tessa are succubi and Taylor's an incubus. If they don't feed it, they'll kill themselves."

"Tye is fine-" His mother argued.

"Tye is too traumatized to feed... And she's fine because until Taylor came home and started sharing energy with her, I was giving her my magic to feed on. Tessa learned to feed on magic and happiness, so that's why she survives."

"Tia! You can't do that. It's dangerous!"

"Well, someone had to help Tye! She was sick, Mama. She needed it."

"Don't be mad, Mama..." Tessa whispered in terror.

"Oh, Tessie, baby, I'm not mad at you," their mother promised.

"No. You are mad at me, for taking care of my siblings. Think about that for a minute." Tia walked out of the house. As Tessa cried in their mother's arms because anger scared her, Taylor followed Tia outside.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I am furious... She is making you all sick," Tia said.

"She means well... She's just messed up from what Dad and Tanner put her through." And I'm a constant reminder of it, he added silently.

"You are her children as much as Mani and I are. It does not matter how you happened... You did, and she had me bring you here, so now she must treat you as she treats us."

"She takes really good care of Tye and Tessa... She just doesn't understand how our magic works."

"She treats you like garbage, Taylor. She may be better to the girls, but she is not being fair to you."

"She's afraid of me, Tia. I don't blame her."

"I do. You are not Tanner. You never harmed her. You are trying so hard to be good, and she just... I do not understand why she treats you as she does."

"I didn't mean to make you guys fight. I'm sorry."

"You are not the one who should be apologizing."

"Tia, it's fine. Really. Mom just has issues. We'll get past this eventually."

She shook her head, but did not protest further. Taylor wondered if this was all his fault.

MERKHET

She knew as soon as she felt his energy who he was. "Zell. It has been a while," Merkhet said.

"Merkhet! Daughter of the Scorpion Goddess... You look well," he replied.

"What is it you want, Zell?"

"You always were one to get right to the point. I understand you are working with two entities I once knew quite well... Where are Rita and Zedd?"

"They are in a prison realm. I will tell you no more."

"Dear Merkhet... You do not even like them. Why would you protect them?"

"I still have need of them. The one I choose to serve can never fully cross into this realm without their assistance."

"Or the assistance of another villain of this realm... I happen to know of one."

"How lovely for you."

"Hear me out, Merkhet. Divatox lives. I sense her."

"Divatox is an idiot. I already have two of those. Why would I want a third?"

"There will come a time when you require her. Find me then, Merkhet. I shall help you continue your quest." With that, he vanished.

"What are you up to, Zell?" She wondered aloud. He was quite possibly the most dangerous entity to ever live aside from her master. She knew better than to trust him, yet he seemed convinced she would need to. She tried to push the thought out of her mind, but for the first time, she was uncertain what might be to come.

CAIUS

He was working in the Command Center. It was an impressive place indeed. Caius was very proud of his oldest surviving friend, Zordon. He had done well.

When someone walked into the room he was in, Caius jumped. Then he saw her.

"Oh! I'm sorry," she said. "Where's Zordon?" She added suspiciously.

Caius struggled to find words. She looks so much like Rose, he thought. His love had died over ten thousand years ago, but this was most definitely her descendant.

"You must be Sage," he said. "My name is Caius. I'm an old friend of Zordon's. He is in the next room."

"Thanks," she said.

He paused. "It is I who should thank you... For saving Caleb."

She stared at him. "You're his father," she said. "The spirits told him about you. And there's no need to thank me. He's important to my brother."

"So I have heard."

"You should meet him someday, Caius. He's a great kid."

"I fear it is not safe for us to be together. The Underworld God wants to hurt him to punish me."

"I believe you. He took my mother to punish me." Sage looked haunted. Caius felt a desperate need to comfort her. He gently touched her arm.

"I am terribly sorry for your loss," he said genuinely.

"Thank you," Sage replied. Her eyes looked almost vulnerable, but she focused quickly as Zordon came into the room.

"Ah, Sage... I see you have met Caius," he said.

"Yep. I came to ask you to tell me everything you know about what we're up against," Sage said. "Jason's sons are in danger. I have to know what we're facing."

"Of course. Caius, perhaps you can help me with that. I fear I may forget some details... There is much to tell."

"Certainly. Have a seat, Sage," Caius said. Eternally chivalrous , he pulled her chair out for her before he began telling the story. "The Chosen were meant to destroy the greatest evil the worlds had ever known. No one knew that the evil was actually Zell, the Great Wizard of Eltar, beloved by the entire universe. To ensure we would fail, Zell destroyed each of us emotionally before recruiting us himself. Dimitri Scott was our leader. He came from a powerful family of magicians and warriors. Zell violated Dimitri's mother, then got his father drunk on honey mead and made sure he knew. Dimitri's father slaughtered his two older brothers, their mother, and his younger sister in a ritualistic circle. He literally went insane. He nearly killed Dimitri, but using his family's sword, Dimitri was able to kill him. Before she died, his sister used the last of her strength to heal him."

"So Jason's family has always had magic," Sage said.

"Jason... That was the name Dimitri and Morgana gave their son." Caius took a breath. He'd raised little Jason Raven Scott himself after his parents died, and even though the boy was long dead, Caius still missed him terribly, just as he missed Quintus's son Quang Bu, who he had also raised. "Yes, they have incredible power, but the family repressed it over the years. They found that using magic let in the vengeful spirit of Dimitri's father. Every few generations, one descendant goes mad, another gets possessed, and one turns evil. If there are not enough descendants, then one son will suffer all three of these fates. The family curse is never spoken about. Locking off their magic and ignoring it was the sacrifice they made to try to prevent it from happening again, but it never works for long. He always returns." He paused. "They do still pass down the family sword. It belongs to Ollie now. Jason may not know he has it, but I am certain he does."

"Jason collects swords."

"Then we must figure out which one it is. It has his family's crest on it."

"I'll talk to him." Sage didn't seem happy about that idea, but Caius did not ask her why. It didn't seem like his business.

"Morgana Fairhaven was a young witch whose parents sold her into slavery to Master Vile. He ultimately did unspeakable things to her, and she found herself with child. She tried to flee, but Zell ensured she went into labor and she could not escape. Her daughter, Rita, was taken from her and she was told the girl was dead. Heartbroken, Morgana escaped, and Zell summoned her to his team."

Sage looked haunted. "That poor girl..." She whispered. Caius knew her own son had been taken from her at birth and that they had only recently reunited.

"Morgana was troubled. She suffered from more self-doubt than the rest of us, but she was incredibly strong. The love she found with Dimitri helped a great deal... Next was Raven Taylor. Raven was a happy soul who never lost hope. He had so much light in him, he could soothe anyone he met. He was a gifted musician as well, and once his light unlocked, he often spread it through his music. The day Zell recruited him, he hired Raven and his friends to search a cave for valuables. They found an ancient evil. It slaughtered all of them, but Raven destroyed it with his light."

"Raven Taylor... Zack's ancestor?" Sage guessed.

"Yes," Zordon confirmed.

"Tamira... God, she's not even fourteen yet. And she is a young thirteen... Sheltered, you know? "

"I do," Zordon said. "I worry most for her. The girl is still innocent."

"We were all innocent once," Caius said sadly. "Except, perhaps, for Xia... " He laughed. "Galaxia Campbell was the first of the Campbell sorcery line to be good. She killed her mother to save a city, an act Zell thought would break her, but it did not. Xia had accepted long before that she would ultimately be forced to do it. Anyway, Xia was high-spirited and a lot of fun, and she could open portals and communicate with animals. She fell in love with a boy... An incubus, sent to harm her, who chose not to in spite of his evil father's demands. He fell for her, and ultimately, he ran away to be with her. Zell made him our stable boy. That boy, who was more pure of heart than anyone I know, was Zedd."

Sage stared at him. "Zedd? Our Zedd?" She asked.

"No, Sage... Our Zedd. He was completely different than the man you know now. He was a powerful force of good. He was very dear to us all." He sighed. "Zell tricked him. We still do not know the details, but he convinced Zedd to give up his light and turned him evil. Because Zedd gave his light up willingly, it can never be returned to him as long as he lives... And Zell made him immortal."

"Even immortals can die."

"They can. And eventually, someone will find a way." Caius tried not to think of his own cursed existence. While he had seen Zedd ultimately being freed, he had not seen any hint he might one day be released himself. He continued. "I was living among the Mystics... The Shaman, as you now know them. I fell very deeply in love with the High Mystic's wife, Rose." His heart ached as he spoke. "When he discovered our relationship, he sacrificed me to an Underworld God. I died... Rose followed me. She got me away from him, sacrificing her life to give me mine back. He kept her and cursed me, saying every son in my line would belong to him, and none would ever love any of her daughters..."

"Thorn," she realized.

"Thorn. The universe is clever. Her daughter may not love my son, but her son does."

Sage smiled. "They're good together. Caleb keeps my brother sane."

"I'm glad... It is my greatest wish that my son be happy."

"He is."

Caius nodded. Then, he continued. "Zell knew I would not get over Rose in a single lifetime. He cursed me to live for eternity to ensure I would eventually produce an heir. I was condemned to walk the Earth forever so that he could one day return, using my son. I believed I would never find love again. I refused to let anyone in, knowing I would have to watch them die... But then, Caleb's mother came into my life." He tried not to think of Julia, or her smile and the way it lit up her eyes, or her laugh and the way it resurrected his heart... "The Underworld God took her, and nearly took my son. I had to give him away to keep him safe."

Sage surprised him by reaching toward him. Her touch was comforting, and it nearly took his breath away. Even her energy reminded him of Rose. He found a way to subtly pull back, pacing and giving himself some distance. He took a deep breath before continuing. "Finally, there was Quintus Kwan. Quin was..." He searched for a word.

"Insane? Humorous? A prankster? Hungry, perhaps?" Zordon suggested with a laugh.

"All excellent suggestions," Caius said with a smile. "Quin was unique. He loved life and tried very hard not to dwell on the things that hurt him, although we all knew he covered his pain with humor. The day the Chosen were summoned, Zell sent a demon to burn down Quin's village. Every man, woman, and child burned, including Quin's own family... But Quin was untouched. He was fireproof. He ultimately destroyed the demon, and he proceeded to search every single house for survivors, but everyone else had perished. That was traumatic enough, but when Quin's son was born, Lord Xylon burned down Hattie's village... She was his son's mother, and she died trying to protect their son. She was barely able to tell Quin they had a son before she died in his arms. Quin saw the burned bundle of blankets and thought the boy had perished, but Zedd had the courage to remove the blankets, and the boy was alive. Quang Bu was fireproof like his father."

Sage looked completely horrified. "My God... Every last one of you was traumatized so severely," she said.

"It was meant to break us, but it also helped us each find our strength." Caius paused. "Xylon was Zedd's father. He shot him with a poisoned arrow, and Zedd nearly died. Zordon was forced to tell his father what Zedd had done."

Zordon looked haunted. Caius put a hand on his arm. "You had no choice, Zordon," he reminded him.

"I had a choice. I made the wrong one," Zordon said. "Zedd was like a brother to me and I fed him to that monster."

"It was the only way to save him."

"And in saving him, I helped destroy him. I knew what my father was, even if I refused to admit it."

"You were a boy, Zordon... Younger than us and basically told we were your responsibility. You did the best you could."

"Zedd deserved better... They both did."

"What is he talking about?" Sage asked.

"The truth, Sage... My father is responsible for turning both Zedd and Rita evil," Zordon said. "And in both cases, it was because I trusted him to help them."

"Zordon, you must stop blaming yourself. Even Rita never truly blamed you," Caius reminded him.

"She was a child, Caius... And I..."

"And you loved her. I know you did... But your father was supposed to be good. Everyone in the universe believed that."

Zordon took a deep breath. "It is too fresh now... What he did to Angie..."

"It is a test, Zordon. She must prove she can survive it. You knew she would inherit Morgana's destiny. Of course he would do it himself. I do not believe Vile would have attacked his granddaughter. He is horrible, but I know he never touched Rita in that manner. I believe he draws the line at incest."

"She's broken, Caius... And I cannot help her. The girl fears me."

"Don't count Angie out," Sage said. "She needs time, but she's a fighter. I think she can get through this, if she just lets someone help her." She paused. "Are all of them doomed to repeat the traumas of their ancestors?"

"Perhaps not the exact traumas," Caius said. "But I do not believe any of them will come out of this without being traumatized in some way."

"Jason... If Ollie's inherited Dimitri's legacy, will Jason end up falling victim to his family curse?"

"It is highly possible, yes."

"I picked a hell of a week to be mad at him... But he deserved it." She sighed. "I need to check on him. Thank you both for the information. I appreciate it!" She ran off.

"Are you alright, Caius?" Zordon asked.

"I suppose," Caius replied. "Are you?"

"Will it make me sound too much like a petulant teenager if I sit here and declare how much I hate my father?"

Caius laughed. "Only a bit, but that is fine. I happened to be quite fond of that petulant teenager."

"I cannot get past what he did to Angie, Caius... Or what he tried to do to Rita. I feel as if I failed them both."

"Angie is not your charge to protect."

"Someone must... I guarded the Chosen. I cared for you all."

"Your father made you our keeper, Zordon... And thank goodness, because you taught us how to fight... But it is not your job now. You have your own team to protect now... Several of them, actually."

"I know my Power Rangers need me... But who will guide the new Chosen if not me?"

Caius took a deep breath. "Ultimately, I believe it may be me, Zordon. I am the only surviving member of the original team." It still hurt him to think about that. "But I have not received the official sign yet... I could be wrong."

"It would make sense," Zordon admitted.

"But I cannot be with my son. It would kill him and condemn the others to fail."

"We will find a way, Caius. For now, I will continue to encourage these children to train with my Rangers. Dustin is already training Caleb, and Angie's been to some sessions as well. The others need to start."

"Agreed. They must be protected... We shall not let them fail as we did... Had you not saved us, we all would have perished that day, except for me."

"Quin died for me. I refused to allow anyone else to."

Caius suddenly lost touch with the present. A room was filled with people. There were children present, and Sage was there, unconscious. Suddenly, a gunshot was fired. There was blood, and death... It touched Caius and refused to let go.

"Caius!" Zordon said with urgency. Caius was trembling and freezing. He looked at Zordon and struggled to focus. "What did you see?" He asked gently.

"Trouble," Caius mumbled. "Adamus is back."

"Dimitri's father?" Zordon asked in horror. "Already? We must warn Jason-"

"There are things we cannot stop at play, Zordon... We must hope Sage can help him fight."

"Jason is not trained in magic."

"The magic is within him... He must connect to it, or..."

"Or he'll murder his wife and children."

"To start. Jason is strong. He is the perfect vessel. Adamus will not let him go."

"Can we help them?"

"I wish I knew."

Caius sighed. This was trouble. He hoped Jason would be strong enough to fight the curse.

JASON

He'd been trying to open his mind. His father had been a strong skeptic. His grandfather had been the same way. Honestly, his entire family had told him over and over that magic was bullshit and not to ever believe in it. He'd come a long way, but there were still some things Jason had difficulty believing.

You have to learn, he thought. His boys needed him, and his stubbornness had hurt Sage. That was the last thing he wanted. Determined to try, Jason started meditating. He focused on opening his mind and trying to embrace the power that apparently came from his family line.

Hello, Jason, a voice said. Out of the shadows came a man who radiated power.

Who are you? Jason asked him.

I am your ancestor. My name is Adamus.

A chill shot through Jason's entire body. He wasn't sure why, but Adamus made him very nervous.

I had hoped you would open your mind up so I could find you, Adamus said. You are unlike the others... More powerful. I can help you, Jason. I can help your boys.

Good. That's what I'm trying to do.

And your daughter... She is lovely. So strong. So fearless. So like my Lucy... You must protect her, Jason. You must protect them all.

I'm trying... What do I need to do?

Ask for my help, Jason. They are my blood. I shall save them. Simply ask.

Will you help me?

Use my name, Jason. That is key.

Adamus, will you help me save my family?

Yessss... The hiss on the word was a bit unnerving, but Jason forgot that almost immediately as he felt Adamus leap into his body beside him. Suddenly, Jason's mind was foggy, as though he was dreaming.

Leave him alone! A voice shouted.

You are too late, Dimitri, Adamus replied. He laughed harshly, and Jason realized he was using his body to laugh.

Am I... Am I, like, possessed or something? Jason demanded.

Don't worry, my boy, Adamus replied. You won't remember that soon.

TWO WEEKS LATER.

OLLIE

High stress and his father's genes had made Ollie a bit of a nymphomaniac. For a nearly-fifteen-year-old, Ollie had recently started getting around a lot. He wasn't sure why he did it, but it had started when a much-older woman had seduced him. Ollie hadn't told anyone what Katherine had done to him, mostly because he was positive they'd be mad at him. Her husband was Ollie's father's best friend. On some level, Ollie had known it was wrong, but she'd been gorgeous and she hadn't really taken no for an answer. He'd been a virgin and he hadn't exactly wanted to sleep with Tommy's wife, but she'd pushed, and it had felt really good... Ollie shuddered and tried to push the anxiety out of his head. It didn't matter now anyway. Kat was dead. No one needed to know what he'd done with her. Most guys would have killed to sleep with a hot older woman... What was he freaking out about?

Of course, the nightmares had started shortly after that, and Sage had recently informed him that Kat had been evil, so maybe that had something to do with it.

Ollie had skipped class. He knew he shouldn't do that, but the girl he'd run into had seemingly appeared out of nowhere, and her energy called to him. They had hooked up in the boiler room, which was so stereotypical it made his head hurt. Now, they were in the woods. He'd gotten past the whole need to sleep with her and they were just talking, but he had her wrapped in his arms.

"Get away from him, Harlot! I know what you are!" His father shouted.

Ollie and the girl, whose name was Natalie, jumped. His father pointed a gun at her. "Dad, what the hell?" Ollie demanded, moving protectively in front of her.

"Move, Oliver!" His father shouted. He never really called him that.

"No... I won't let you hurt her."

His father knocked him out of the way so quickly, Ollie barely realized it had happened. Then he fired the shot. Ollie screamed as he watched Natalie fall to the ground. He pulled her into his arms, not understanding what was happening.

"Jason!" Sage screamed as she joined them.

His father dropped his gun and stared at his hands in horror. "What have I done?" He asked.

"Jason... Just breathe. Stay with me. Something's in your head. Do you understand?"

"I... I shot her... I shot a little girl..."

"It isn't your fault. Let me clear your head, okay?"

Ollie had heard enough. He didn't care if his dad went to jail. All he knew was he had to get out of there. He ran for his life and didn't stop running until he got to Sage and Thorn's house. Thorn opened the door in surprise.

"Ollie? Are you okay? What's wrong?" Thorn asked.

"Can I stay here? I can't go home," Ollie said.

Thorn looked at him for a moment before nodding. "Of course. Come on in. Caleb and I were about to make dinner."

"Is everything okay, Ollie?" Adam asked, seeing him as he came inside.

"No... My dad's gone nuts!" The story poured out of him. Ollie managed to keep himself composed, but he was freaking out.

"Sage told me your dad is being influenced, Ollie. This wasn't him," Adam said gently.

"I don't care! I just watched him shoot a teenager... I can't just let that go."

"Then don't. Not yet."

"Can I crash here or should I leave?"

"Of course you can stay. And I won't let your father come around until you're okay with it."

Relief flooded through him. "Thanks, Adam."

"No problem. Excuse me for a minute." He walked away.

Ollie tried to relax. Whatever was going on, he knew he was safe for now. His father wouldn't get to him here.

CALEB

He was bringing out plates when he saw the man standing behind Ollie. He was moving closer to a heavy sculpture that sat above Ollie. Suddenly, he reached toward it, ready to knock it over.

"Ollie, watch out!" Caleb shouted.

Ollie looked up in confusion. Thorn and Adam rushed into the room. Ollie still hadn't moved, so Caleb shoved him out of the way just as the sculpture came crashing down. It shattered and Ollie stared at Caleb in shock. "You just saved my life!" He said.

"Who are you?" Caleb demanded of the man. "Why the hell did you do that?"

The man laughed. Thorn, Adam, and Ollie all looked at the man. "Caleb, honey... Who are you talking to?" Thorn asked gently.

"The guy who just tried to kill Ollie!" Caleb said. He saw the confusion and concern on everyone's faces. "Guys, he's right there."

"Caleb... There's no one here but us," Adam said with concern.

"Are you serious? But he's... He's right..." Caleb paused. "None of you can see him?" He asked.

"I don't see anyone," Ollie said, "but that sculpture didn't just fall on its own."

"They cannot see the dead," the man said with another laugh. Caleb felt significantly colder as the ghost came toward him. "You are a special boy. My name is Adamus Scott. Learn it well."

Caleb felt his skin pale. Adamus reached toward him and touched him. The air was sucked out of his lungs as Caleb suddenly saw Adamus when he'd been alive, and the way he'd died. Then he watched as he drove generations of his descendants insane and slaughtered their families. He felt the evil growing over the centuries as Adamus remained earthbound. He felt death surrounding him, consuming him...

"Caleb!" Thorn cried out.

"Be gone, Spirit! I banish you!" Adam shouted. Suddenly, Adamus cried out in agony before vanishing from sight.

Caleb fell to his hands and knees, gasping for breath. "Caleb... Are you okay?" Ollie asked nervously.

"Your homicidal ancestor says hello," Caleb managed to say. He was shivering. Thorn wrapped him in the throw blanket from the couch and held him. The blanket seemed to help instantly.

"Casey made that," Adam explained sadly. "It has protective spells woven into every square."

"How did you banish him?" Caleb asked.

"With this." He pulled out a talisman from his pocket. Caleb recognized it. Before Casey's death, it had always been around Adam's neck.

"It's a protection talisman," Thorn said. "Mom gave it to him when they were still teenagers."

"Now... If you'll excuse me, I need to dig out a smudge stick and purify this house," Adam said. He walked away.

"I didn't realize he was a ghost," Caleb said. "Sometimes, it's really hard to tell... I hate this. The visions are bad enough, but seeing the dead? Yeah, no thanks."

"You have powers?" Ollie asked.

"Only since I came back from-" He caught himself.

"My sister resurrected him," Thorn explained. "It's okay, Caleb. Ollie needs to know, and Sage has been training him anyway."

"I won't tell anyone," Ollie promised. "I recently found out I have powers, too."

Suddenly, Caleb had a vision. He was fighting in a battle with Ollie and some others he recognized. Angie, Tia, Maddie, a girl he vaguely recognized as Zack's daughter Tamira, an Asian boy he didn't know, and Taylor were all working together.

"You are the new Chosen," a man Caleb didn't know said. He felt familiar, but he couldn't see him.

Suddenly, something happened and the vision repeated. Taylor was missing. Caleb finally spotted him nearby, looking at them sadly, unable to help...

"You cannot defeat me!" The bastard who'd used Caleb to resurrect himself said. "You are incomplete!"

Caleb knew then that Taylor was dead. Suddenly, Caleb felt powerful magic spreading through the room. Tia tried to do something, but she was struck with a spell that killed her instantly. One by one, everyone fell, until only Caleb and Angie remained.

"Caleb, run!" Angie screamed.

Caleb stood frozen in horror. Left with no other choice, Angie dove in front of him, trying to fight this powerful magic user. Whoever it was, they remained hidden by a cloak. "Go!" Angie screamed. "I can't hold her for long!"

Caleb finally ran as Angie screamed in agony.

He returned to the present with a gasp. Tears ran down his cheeks. Only when he saw Ollie, alive and looking at him in alarm, did he relax. "What did you see?" Thorn asked gently as he held him, wrapping the blanket around him even tighter.

"Taylor... We have to protect Taylor, or we'll die..." Caleb mumbled.

"Who will?" Ollie asked.

"You... Tia... Maddie... All of us... I... I don't understand..." He was shaking violently.

"Ollie, go ask my dad to brew Caleb some of my mom's emergency tea. I need to warm him up and calm his nerves," Thorn said. Ollie left without an argument. "It's okay, Caleb. Everything will be okay."

Caleb wished he could believe that.

TRINI

"But Mom, you promised," Bu said.

"It's just not an ideal time, Bu," Trini said to her son.

"Come on, Mom! It's my dream school, and the open house is my only chance to impress them in person. You're always saying college is more important than anything."

Trini couldn't exactly explain that with monsters back in town, Angel Grove was the last place she wanted to bring any of her children. "Bu, it's just not a good idea. I'd hate to leave your dad and sisters again so soon."

"It's Brian, Mom. I want to be called Brian."

"Bu is a perfectly respectable name. It's a family name, and the other men who have had it were proud of it."

"But it's just so... Asian, Mom."

"Oh no... What was I thinking, giving my Asian son an Asian name?" Trini teased him with an eye roll.

"I belong in America, Mom. And in America, Bu's a lame name."

"Then it's perfect for you!" His sister Linh teased him.

"That was mean, Linh," Mai, the youngest, said.

"Seriously, Mom, can I go?" Bu asked.

Trini sighed. "Okay, but only if I go, too... But your father-"

"Will come, too. It will be a family trip," Cho said with a smile. "I will book the flight now. When do we need to be there?"

"In four days," Bu said.

"Consider it done." Bu ran off excitedly. "He needs to do this, Trini. College matters, and he refuses to consider applying to any of the schools here."

She knew that, but she was still nervous. Trini had a terrible feeling about this trip.

THREE DAYS LATER.

BRIAN

He'd been a little upset when Linh got sick and his father decided to stay home with her and Mai, but his mother had not tried to back out of the trip. He couldn't be sad as they got on the plane. Finally, Brian was going to America! That was beyond amazing, and he was too excited to dwell on it no longer being a family trip.

They were nearly there when something happened. Brian didn't have time to process more than the sound of screams as he bashed his head against the seat in front of his and blacked out.

Sometime later, Brian realized they were on the ground. He opened his eyes and looked around and realized in horror that the plane was on fire. "Mom!" He cried out. He saw her, still beside him and unconscious. Flames licked at her flesh and Brian realized her arm, leg, and chest were on fire. "Mom! Mom, wake up!" He screamed. He flung himself over her, wrapping her in his arms, and realized the fire went out almost immediately. The plane was still burning, but his mother was safe. Confused, Brian unfastened her seatbelt and kept her in his arms as she came around. "Mom, we have to get out of here," he said urgently. She nodded. Somehow, with his help, she was able to walk toward the opening. The plane had been broken in half.

Once they were a safe distance away, Brian helped her sit down. "I have to go back," he told her.

"Bu, no!" She cried.

"Those people need my help, Mom! I don't know why, but the fire... It's like it won't touch me. I can help them."

She nodded. "Be careful."

Brian ran toward the plane. He took a deep breath before rushing inside, checking every passenger he could find. Men, women, children, and even babies were trapped and burning, and everyone he found was already dead. Still, he continued searching for any possible survivors, trying not to cry and his heart broke for everyone who had already perished.

After what felt like hours but was likely only minutes, Brian knew no one else had survived. If the impact of the crash hadn't killed them, the fire had. Weeping, he left the plane and returned to his mother as police, firefighters, and paramedics arrived. They swarmed the scene as Brian cried and clung to his mother.

"We have to get you both to a hospital," a paramedic told him. "You have a serious head injury."

"My mom..." Brian managed to say. He looked at her as she whimpered in pain.

"Your mother is severely burned, but she's alive. She can survive this if she gets help."

Brian nodded. He helped his mother stand up and carried her to the ambulance himself when her legs gave out. He sat beside her as the paramedics did what they could and tried not to completely panic as they headed to the hospital.

SAGE

The training session with the boys had gone very well. She and Troy were about to drop them off when suddenly, she sensed danger. "Troy... Protect the boys," Sage told her son.

She knew he could sense it, too. Troy pulled the kids closer to him, shielding them as much as he could with his own body and his very spirit.

A moment later, Jason came into view, but Sage knew it wasn't him. "Troy, run!" She told him, but it was too late. The entity wearing the Jason suit threw some sort of potion at them and Troy and the boys all fell immediately unconscious. He also threw it at her. The first potion did almost nothing except make her drowsy, but then he threw three more at her in quick succession. At first, Sage fell unconscious and for a moment, all she saw was blackness. Then, she was able to separate from her body.

"Big mistake!" She told him as she appeared to him in her astral form. "When I'm trapped in my body, I'm restricted. You just freed me, you fool!"

"Call me that again, I dare you!" He shouted.

"Fool! You are a fool," she said calmly.

The entity glared at her. Then, Troy, Ollie, Luke, Vinny, Robby, and her body all vanished, somehow teleported to a new location. I guess I'm going to have to chase him, Sage thought. She was still connected enough to her body to easily track herself. It didn't take her long, but when she arrived, everyone was tied up. To Sage's horror, she saw that Maddie and Becky were also there and unconscious. Becky had only come back to town earlier in the week, and both of them had been warned about what Jason was currently struggling with, but apparently, the entity wearing Jason had somehow tricked both of them into trusting him long enough for him to knock them out, too.

You're the only chance they have, Sage realized. No matter what, she couldn't screw this up.

JASON

He struggled to fight against Adamus. It was becoming impossible. The bastard was too strong. Jason felt like he was watching a movie as Adamus held a gun on his family. All of his children were there, and Sage and Troy were stuck in the middle, too, all because they'd been trying to help his kids. He couldn't let this happen.

Fight, he thought. You have to fight this, Jason! You can't let this bastard kill your family!

You cannot fight me, Jason, Adamus taunted him. You are weak. You are nothing without me!

He had to find a way. He took several deep breaths before finally whispering, Dimitri... He knew that his only chance would be connecting to the one who'd killed Adamus to begin with. Dimitri, help me... Please help me... I can't hurt them... Please.

Jason. The one word response was so low, Jason barely heard it. He knew he had to open his mind up. He had to accept that this was real. He had to let the supernatural into his mind fully or he would never be able to do this.

I hear you, he thought. Help me, Dimitri. Please save my family.

You must be brave, Jason. You must embrace your path... You are the only one who can do this.

Do what? How do I stop him?

The sword, Jason. The family sword, the one he brought with him to mock us all. You must take it, and you must kill him.

He'd already dead...

He's inside of you. The only way to end this is to destroy him once and for all, and that sword is the key... But it will require an act of great faith.

He understood then. The only way to destroy Adamus was to risk destroying himself, too. Have faith, he told himself. You have to do this. You have to save them.

Somehow, as he held the gun steadily on Becky, he began to gain control. Everyone but Sage was awake. Becky looked at him with terror in her eyes. Luke had somehow managed to pull Robby against him even though they were restrained. He held Robby's face against his body, refusing to let him look at what was happening. Luke closed his own eyes, also not looking.

"Dad... Don't," Ollie whispered. "Please don't do this." He stared at him.

"Dad, you can fight this!" Maddie told him. Even she looked terrified.

Vinny stared at him, refusing to look away. He had never seen his son so scared. He looked at Troy, who was clearly trying to plot an escape, and at Sage, who was still unconscious. Sage, he thought. She's completely innocent and I'm about to kill her... I'm about to kill all of them, and Sage can't even wake up to try to stop me...

Somehow, he found the strength to gain just enough control. He pulled out the sword. Maddie screamed and Ollie cried out, "Dad, no!"

Jason plunged the sword into his own chest as he shouted, "Burn in Hell, you son of a bitch!" The pain was severe, but he didn't care. He collapsed on the ground, bleeding out, and knew as Adamus shrieked in his mind that he'd won. He could feel the bastard being destroyed. He was dying, but he'd taken the son of a bitch down with him.

Do not give up hope, Dimitri insisted. Have faith, Jason. Believe. Believe in the magic in your veins and in this sword. Do not give up. You did it. You destroyed him. Now hold on to the love in your heart and try to survive.

OLLIE

With the spell broken, Maddie was able to free herself almost immediately. She freed Ollie and Troy next, and they untied Luke, Vinny, Robby, and Sage. Ollie was about to go to his mother to untie her when someone walked into the room.

"Who the hell is that?" He demanded as he saw the terrifying man with blue skin. Then he recognized him. It was Zell.

"How disappointing," Zell said. "I suppose I will have to finish this myself." Before anyone could react, Zell pulled out a gun and fired off a shot.

"Mom!" Ollie screamed as the bullet hit her. He ran toward her, but it was too late. She was already dead, and Zell had vanished. Ollie pulled her into his arms, untying her in vain and trying to stop the bleeding.

"Mom! Robby, don't look! Do you hear me? Stop fighting me!" Luke was saying as he fought to restrain Robby.

Vinny slowly walked toward Ollie. He sank to his knees and started crying over their mother's body. It was then that Ollie saw Sage, out of her body, somehow manifesting.

"Ollie, you have to pull out the sword," she told him.

"What? Are you crazy? He'll bleed out!" Ollie objected.

"It's the only way to save him, Ollie. The sword is magic, and it's yours. It belongs to you. You are the only one who can do this."

Ollie had no choice but to believe her. He'd just lost his mother. If he didn't do something fast, he'd lose his father, too, and all because he had stabbed himself in the chest to try to save them. He'd done something insane that Ollie couldn't help but respect. Who else would have been brave enough to sacrifice their own life to save their family? Ollie knew how much strength it must have taken to do that. He hated that he'd been so hard on his father. He had to help him now.

He knelt beside him. "Dad... Don't die, Dad... Please," Ollie whispered.

His father looked at him. He touched his hand. "It's okay, Ollie," he said weakly. "Do it."

Ollie nodded and pulled the sword out. He expected his father to die immediately, but instead, the wound began to mend. Ollie watched in shock as his father's body healed itself, until all that was left was a hole in his shirt and a giant bloodstain. His father sat up slowly.

"Dad! Dad, you're okay!" Ollie said in shock. He flung his arms around him and began to cry, hating that he couldn't help it. "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry for how I acted and for not coming home..."

"Ollie, you had every right to be upset," his father said soothingly. "What that thing made me do was unforgivable..." He looked toward Ollie's mother. "Oh God... Becky..."

"You saved us, Dad. You saved all of us... But that guy... That monster... He came in here and he... He..."

His father held him tighter, trying to comfort him as he shed his own tears. Maddie ran toward them. "Dad!" She cried out. She kicked him in the leg hard and he let out a cry of protest before she flung her arms around him. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!" She shouted. She refused to let him go for a minute.

Luke and Robby came over to them. Robby seemed confused, as Luke still shielded him from seeing much, but he held onto their father now to try to comfort himself. Luke was crying. "She's gone, Ollie..." He whispered.

"I know," Ollie said. He pulled his younger brother closer, trying to comfort him. He looked to Sage, who was still projecting. Sage looked devastated as she vanished, and Ollie wondered where she was going. He hoped she might be trying to find a way to help his mother. If anyone could save her, it was Sage. Maybe all hope wasn't lost yet.

His father tried to move toward Vinny. Vinny backed away from him and started crying. He said nothing, but shook his head violently, and it was clear he was terrified of their father. "I'll get him out," Troy said. "If someone can carry my mom?"

"I've got her," Maddie said, finally letting go of their father. "Ollie, can you help me?"

"Yeah... Yeah, I can help," Ollie said.

Troy was obviously using some of his Shaman powers as he knelt beside Vinny because Vinny didn't run away. He did, however, tremble as Troy picked him up. Ollie could see how hard Troy was trying to soothe him, but there was no fixing this. Their mother was dead, and Vinny had watched their father hold a gun to her head before stabbing himself in the heart. If that wasn't traumatic, what was?

SAGE

She found the Underworld God easily enough. "I'm taking her back," Sage informed him.

"You can't have her. Becky belongs to me now," the God argued.

"She has children! Robby's so little... He'll forget her. I won't let that happen!"

"You cannot just bring back any soul you feel like saving, Sage! She was meant to die!"

"I know who that was... It was Zell. You're telling me he was meant to kill her?"

"Yes. Jason was always meant to be the one to end the family curse. He was the only one with the strength to do what had to be done. He succeeded. Unfortunately, Becky was meant to die, and Zell had to do it himself."

"I refuse to accept that."

"I thought you might, so I reincarnated her."

Sage glared at him before feeling out for Becky. She pulled her out of where she'd been sent and cleansed her. "That's undone. She's coming with me."

"A soul kept alive after its time shall wither and die in a different way. It's a cursed fate, Sage."

"Her children need her!"

"If you take her, you will be killing Oliver."

Sage hesitated. "What do you mean?" She demanded.

"The boy needs this loss, Sage. It will give him strength. His pain will turn him into the warrior he must become if he is to lead the Chosen. If you give him back his mother, he will not be as strong as he needs to be. He will fail. They will all fail. You will kill him."

She didn't know if he was telling the truth, but she also knew she couldn't take the chance. She'd never forgive herself if something happened to Ollie, and she knew Becky wouldn't want to be alive if it meant one of her sons died. "Fine," she said angrily. "Fine, you can have her, but only on my terms."

"No."

"You want her. You want to preserve the balance. These are my conditions. One, you remove the curse on Caius and his descendants. You don't kill them, and you don't keep them from love, and you just let them live their lives."

"Fine. Fine, I don't care about that anymore. This is bigger than that. Zell must be stopped. Take that wretched boy and his father."

"Two... You leave me and my family alone. You don't go after anyone I love, not my brother, not my father, not my cousin or uncle... And you let my mother go."

"She can't come back to life."

"I know that!" Sage snapped. It made her heart ache, but she did know her mother had to remain dead. That was set in stone. "But you release her. You stop hurting her. Understood?"

He glared at her. "How dare you?" He demanded.

"Do we have a deal or not?"

He cursed, but finally said, "Fine! I shall release your mother from enslavement... But you need to stay the hell out of my business."

"I'll do whatever I want. You have no power here." Sage looked at Becky sadly. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "It's for Ollie."

Becky was confused by all of this, but she seemed to understand that much. She nodded and mouthed, Thank you, before Sage released her.

The Underworld God took Becky into his arms protectively. Sage knew he had no intention of harming her. "Rest now, my dear," he said. "I shall make things right for you shortly." He sent her on her way before sending one last glare at Sage. "Goodbye, Sage. I hope to never see you again." With that, he left.

Sage floated back toward her body. She wished she could wake up, but the sleeping potion had been way too strong. She was going to be down for a while. I guess I needed a break anyway, she thought. She tried not to feel like she'd made the wrong choice. Jason would be devastated that Becky was gone, and her sons would be broken. She felt like a murderer, but she knew she'd had no choice. Still, she needed to know if he'd been telling the truth. She found her way to Caius.

"Sage?" He asked after jumping at the sight of her. "What can I do for you?"

"Caius... The Underworld God said if I saved Becky Scott, it would get Ollie killed... I gave in, but I need to know I did the right thing," she said.

Caius looked sad as he said, "You did, Sage. He was correct. I saw it a few minutes ago... If Becky had returned, Ollie would have failed as the leader of the Chosen. He would have died... And all of them would have followed."

"All of them?" Sage asked in shock.

"Yes. They need to be whole, Sage. My generation was broken... Zell took Zedd from us before we could fulfil our destiny. We never had a chance. We can't allow that to happen again."

She nodded. Knowing what Caius had seen helped a bit. "Caius... I made him remove the curse on your line."

Caius looked shocked. "You... You did what?" He asked.

"I made him vow to stop coming after you, and after Caleb and any other descendants... And to remove the curse preventing you or your sons from being with Rose's daughters. You're free... And if you want to meet your son... I think it's time."

Caius paled. "That's unexpected," he finally said. "You truly are extraordinary, Sage... Thank you. You have no idea what you've done for me."

"So go meet Caleb sometime, okay? He's awesome."

"I will... I promise you that... But it has to wait until the time is right. Hopefully, that will be soon. I love my son. Giving him up was the hardest thing I've ever had to do."

Sage believed him. "Well, you'll have your reunion soon," she promised.

Caius looked like he might cry. Instead, he nodded. "Your kindness will not be forgotten, Sage... Now, I was just about to head to the Command Center. They've taken your body there. I'm going to see if I can help you wake up."

Sage appreciated the gesture, but she knew it was going to be a while before her body was ready to wake up. She'd have to find a way to occupy her time while she was stuck outside of her body.

BRIAN

He was sitting on his hospital bed looking at his mother when a girl suddenly appeared. The girl looked at his mother. "Trini... Shit..." She mumbled.

"Um... Hi?" Brian asked.

"You're Trini's son?" She asked.

"Yeah... I'm Brian. Who are you?"

"I'm Sage. Keep your voice down. I'm only here astrally. Not everyone can see me."

Brian's eyes went wide. "Head injuries are trippy..." He mumbled.

"I'm not a hallucination, Brian. I'm here to help. What happened to you and your mom?"

"We were in a plane crash." He tried not to flash back on what had happened. "Mom was on fire... I... I touched her, and it... It went out. I got her out, and I tried to help everyone else, but... But... They were..." He shook his head. "We're the only ones who survived. Mom's really hurt."

"I can help your mom, Brian, but you have to be ready to leave. I'll guide you to someone who can help. You can stay with my dad. My room's empty right now."

"I don't understand... Mom is hurt. She needs medical care. They said it will be weeks."

"You're not safe here. I can heal her. I can heal both of you... I can't fully heal her because she's in bad shape and if I rush it, it may not work right... But I can make it so she's healthy enough to leave." Sage began healing his mother before his eyes. He watched in amazement as the burns faded until they looked several months old. Finally, his mother opened her eyes.

"Sage?" She asked softly.

"It's okay, Trini. Everything's going to be okay," Sage promised. "You need to go with Brian. My dad will take care of you until you're fully recovered... And you'll be safe there."

"Safe from what?"

"I know you know your family history, Trini. I know you know all about Quintus... And that Brian is just like him."

"Bu is untrained, Sage... He's not safe..."

"Dad will protect him."

"He... He needs to be in school, not here..."

"We'll arrange for him to be transferred to Angel Grove High."

"Wait... What?" Brian asked.

"You are part of something, Brian... And you're only going to be safe if you're with the others, who are all here," Sage said.

"So I'd attend an American high school? Really?" He couldn't help but be excited. American culture was his entire life. He loved it.

"It's for the best... And your mom knows I'm right."

His mother sighed. "For now," she agreed. "Until I'm healthy enough to go home."

"I can stay?" Brian asked.

"We're staying," she confirmed.

A man appeared in the doorway. "Trini, my God... Are you alright?" He asked.

"Adam..." She replied. "Yeah... I think I'm okay. Your daughter helped heal me."

"She's unconscious, and free from her body. Her strength is up," Adam said. "Come on. I'll take care of you guys. We'll figure out how to cover this up later. Right now, your safety is the most important thing." He looked at Brian. "Hi, I'm Adam Park."

"Brian," Brian told him, "no matter what my mom tells you my name is." He managed a smile. This was all very weird, but it felt right, and he decided he'd roll with it until things started making sense again.


	20. Chapter Twenty

OLLIE

It had been a rough night. His father hadn't slept. Troy had stayed with them, apparently at Sage's request, and so had Maddie. Ollie had stayed up hoping Sage would come to him and tell him everything was okay and she'd fixed his mother. That hadn't happened.

Vinny sat in the smallest corner he could find with his back to the wall, staring into space. Only Troy could get near him without him panicking. He hadn't said a word since everything had happened, but he'd screamed for half the night while he tried to sleep until Troy was finally able to stop his nightmares for a little while. Luke had gone into Helper Mode. He was looking after Robby, cleaning up the house, and even trying to help Troy cook. Apparently, Luke hadn't inherited their father's severe inability to cook anything edible. The man had once messed up macaroni and cheese, and not the kind people made from scratch but the kind that came out of a box. Ollie's kitchen skills were about the same as his father's. It seemed to keep Luke calm to feel like he was actually doing things, so no one tried to stop him.

Maddie was playing with Robby while Luke and Troy made breakfast when suddenly, Robby casually asked, "When's Mommy coming home?"

Everything stopped. Luke dropped a plate and it shattered. Maddie looked horrified. His father's face fell and Ollie knew he couldn't handle trying to answer that. Robby had been told the night before that their mother was dead, but obviously, he didn't understand what that really meant.

Sage suddenly whispered in his head, Talk to Billy. He had to figure out how to explain to Josh that his mom was gone when he was only seven... He might be able to help Robby understand.

Ollie rushed upstairs to his room before saying, "Sage... Are you there?"

Sage manifested. "I'm here," she said.

"Did you find her? Can you help my mom?"

Sage looked at him sadly and Ollie lost the last of his hope. That hurt, so he embraced anger instead. "You can do that stuff, Sage! You brought Caleb back! You resurrected Rocky! I know how strong you are, so why not save my mom?" He demanded.

"Ollie, I-" Sage began.

"Is it personal? Does she not matter to you?"

"Ollie-"

"Because she matters to us! My brothers need her! My Dad needs her!" He paused. Softer, he added, "I need her." He had to fight not to cry.

"I know, Ollie..." Sage sounded as heartbroken as he felt. "I'm so sorry... I tried to save her... I had her... But the Underworld God told me you'd die if I did."

"I don't care!" Ollie shouted. "My brothers need her! I'd give my life in a second to bring her back!"

"Ollie... It wouldn't have just been you. All of the Chosen would have died. Caius confirmed it. You know your destiny. I explained it to you. Every one of you would have died... Even Tamira."

He looked at her in horror. "But why? What does my mom dying have to do with everyone else?"

"What you're feeling now will give you the strength to fight back, Ollie... You all need to be traumatized by something..."

"It's because of me... That's why she's dead?" Now his tears did fall, because he lost his will to fight.

"No, Ollie. It's Zell's fault, not yours."

He wanted to accept that, but it didn't feel that way. Ollie picked up a baseball trophy and threw it across his room. It was meaningless, like everything else. He didn't even care when it broke into about six different pieces.

Sage vanished as Troy came running upstairs and knocked on his door. "Ollie? Are you okay?" He called.

Ollie took a deep breath. He opened the door and said, "I'm going for a run." Then he rushed out of the house before anyone could stop him.

TWO DAYS LATER.

ZEKE

He'd been taking steps to start living again. He was back in Martial Arts training. He was working with Adam instead of his father to give him some space from him and his overprotective smothering. Now, with his shrink's approval, he was going back to school. That was scary. He felt exposed, but at the same time, it was really good to see his friends again. He didn't tell them what had happened. He didn't know if he ever would, but at least around them, he felt like himself again.

He was officially labeled not only as having ADHD, but as being "emotionally traumatized and unstable," so his teachers had been instructed to go easy on him. He'd still caused enough trouble with snarky disruptions to land himself in detention on his first day back.

"Ah," he said as he took his usual seat. "Home, sweet home." He put his feet up on his desk and leaned back in his chair, relaxing.

The boy who walked in next surprised him. "Taylor?" He asked.

"Oh... Um... Hi, Zeke," Taylor said awkwardly.

Zeke knew from Maddie that Taylor was not like his brother, so he decided to put any instant dislike of the boy aside and get to know him. "What are you in for?" Zeke asked.

"Apparently, teachers don't like it when you point out how stupid they are," Taylor said with a shrug.

Zeke laughed. "Oh, we're gonna be fast friends," he said.

"Friends?" Taylor asked with a hint of surprise.

"Yeah. I pretty much live in detention, and I have a feeling I'm gonna be seeing a lot of you."

"Probably... I've been sent here every day since Mom enrolled me."

"It's got to be weird for you being thrust into high school. You're what? A few months old?"

"Yeah... And it is weird, but Josh tries to help me."

"Josh? He's the last one I'd expect... I mean... No offense, but..."

"But he should hate me? I know. I kept telling him that. He's stubborn."

"Well, you're lucky. Josh is a really loyal friend. And now, you have me, and I'll help you cover up your mischief." He grinned.

"Why?" Taylor asked.

"Because you got a shitty deal, Taylor, but I don't think you're a bad guy."

"Thanks... I didn't expect that."

"I'm unpredictable like that. Look, your sister got disfigured to protect me. I figure that means we can't judge all of you by the actions of one asshole."

"You're one up on my mom," Taylor mumbled.

"What?" Zeke asked.

"Nothing," Taylor said quickly. "Thanks, Zeke. I'm glad we're cool."

Detention began then, so they had to stop talking. It was so familiar that Zeke couldn't stop smiling. Life went on. He'd survived, and he was going to be okay. Now he just needed to believe in himself enough to consider becoming the Red Ranger again, but that still seemed pretty impossible to him.

BILLY

He'd gotten used to waking up beside Kimberly every morning. He'd even gotten used to holding her hand, because touching her grounded him. He was still trying to get used to kissing her, which he'd only done a couple of times. They were both nervous to do it more than that. Her husband had just died, at Billy's hands, and Billy had just come back from the "dead." To say that beginning any sort of romantic relationship would be complicated was an understatement. He was no longer having nightmares every time he slept, although they hadn't fully vanished from his life. He stayed calm around everyone he'd once been programmed to kill. He was just Billy again, and finally, he was ready to take a major step.

First, however, he had to do something even more important. Billy went over Jason's house and sat with Robby. "This is a kit to build a rocket, Robby," he said. "Would you like to work on it with me?"

"Yeah!" Robby said excitedly.

They sat together on the grass outside of Jason's house, looking up at the sky. "Robby... Do you know what happened to your mom?" Billy asked carefully.

"Everyone says she went away... She got hurt, I think. Luke wouldn't let me see." He sounded sad, and Billy knew that on some level, Robby did understand what had happened.

"A very bad man hurt your mommy," Billy confirmed.

"But it wasn't Daddy, or the bad man he sent away, right?"

"Right. This was someone else... And when he hurt her, Robby... She died. Do you know what that means?"

"My fish died. His name was Fred. Mommy said he went to Heaven to swim with God... Is Mommy swimming with God?"

"Maybe," Billy said kindly. "We can't know for sure if she's swimming, but I want you to know that your mommy's not in pain anymore. Actually, she probably didn't even feel pain because it happened so quickly. I promise you, she's watching over you now, and she always will."

"And Daddy and my brothers, too?"

"Yes. She's watching all of you."

"When will she come home?"

"Robby... Fred didn't come home, right?"

"No..."

"I know it's hard to understand this, but your mommy can't come home, either." He paused, waiting to see how Robby would react. He stopped playing with the pieces of the rocket and looked at Billy.

"She's not coming back ever?" Robby asked.

"No, Robby. I'm sorry, but she's not." Billy looked at him and added, "But this rocket is special. Once we build it, if you ever want to send your mommy a message, we can put it in here and launch it into the sky and she'll get the message and know you're thinking about her. We can do that whenever you want to, okay?"

Robby got excited then. "Let's build it!" He said. Billy helped him put it together, gently guiding him and doing the harder parts himself. When they were done, Billy wrote down everything Robby said.

Dear Mommy... You are the best mommy ever and I love you and I'll always love you. Say hi to Fred the Fish! Love Robby.

They launched it into the air. Robby was smiling. Billy tried not to cry. He had used the same thing to comfort Josh, and every year on his wife's birthday and the anniversary of her death, they'd launch the rocket into the sky with letters from them both. This had continued until their house had exploded and probably destroyed the rocket. Billy wondered how Josh had handled those days after that. He shook his head and focused on the fact that he'd given Robby the slightest bit of peace. That was all that currently mattered.

When Robby finally went inside for dinner, Billy looked at Jason. "Thanks, Man," Jason said. "I owe you."

"I'm happy to help. How are you holding up?" Billy asked.

"Honestly? About as well as you'd think."

"I understand, Jason." He sighed. "I've been there."

"I tried to save her, Billy... I did save her! And she still died."

"I know... I'm so sorry, Jason. I know how much it hurts to know you failed your wife."

"You didn't fail your wife, Billy. She was sick."

"Because someone made her sick. I know none of you believe me about that, but I'm not crazy."

"I believe you, Billy."

"You do?" He asked in surprise.

"I didn't... But that was before. Now I realize anything is possible, and you're a genius... If you say she died from outside interference, I believe you."

"Thank you. That actually means a lot more to me than you know." Billy paused. "Jason, what Zell did isn't your fault. You couldn't have known."

"It doesn't make it hurt any less."

"I know." He squeezed his shoulder. "I should go."

"Stay for dinner. Troy and Luke cooked way too much food anyway."

"Okay... Hey, Jason... I think it's time I start the process of coming back legally from the dead, but I'm not sure where to begin."

"Penny Nichols. She's an amazing lawyer here in California. She's affiliated with Becky's firm... She's a friend. I trust her, and she's good with weird."

"That's a useful trait in my case... Thank you, Jason. I appreciate the tip."

"It's the least I can do. Come on, Billy. Let's go eat."

They sat around the kitchen table, where Luke proudly served them. Maddie smiled at Billy cheerfully. Robby was bouncing off the walls as he told her about the rocket. Ollie nodded at him in vague acknowledgement. Vinny stared at his food, not eating.

"Come on, Vinny. You need to eat," Troy said gently. He slowly coaxed Vinny into eating in a way that clearly told Billy he was on autopilot. He had always liked Vinny, who'd shown high intelligence at a very young age, but now he wasn't sure how to help the boy. He had a feeling special rockets and whimsical messages launched into the sky would not be enough. Vinny hadn't just lost his mother. He'd watched a maniac kill her after his father held her at gunpoint.

"You need to get him into therapy," Billy said softly.

Jason nodded. "I know. I already spoke to the school about it. Vinny isn't talking, but he's made it clear all he wants is to go back to school, so we're hoping that will help. Either way, he'll be seeing a professional soon," he said.

"Good. If there's anything more I can do to help you or the boys, just ask."

"Thanks, Billy. Right now, we're just taking it one day at a time."

Billy nodded. That was all Jason could really do at this point. He knew that better than anyone.

KATIE

She'd been home for just over a week and it was already chaos everywhere. Sage had expressly forbidden anyone from stressing her out. She'd told her she wasn't allowed to talk to Zeke because she couldn't handle that kind of stress. Katie didn't appreciate being told she couldn't see her friend, but she knew whatever had happened, it must have been bad. She also knew Sage was just trying to protect her. It wasn't exactly a secret that Katie hadn't wanted to come back home.

Being with Jayden and his team was calming to her. They'd fought an amazing battle together, and even though she wasn't part of the Samurai Rangers, they treated her as if she were. She missed them, but their battle was done, and she needed to come home. Most of all, Katie missed Jayden. She'd insisted he stay home and spend time with Mentor Ji. She knew how important Ji was to Jayden, and she knew it was good for them to spend time together without the stress of battle, but she desperately missed her boyfriend.

"Punk? Earth to Punk?" Her father called.

Katie looked up suddenly. "Yeah, Dad?" She asked.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine... Just bored."

"Ready for some homeschooling?"

"Ugh. Do I have to?"

"Katie, you missed a lot of school while you were with Jayden. I covered by saying I was homeschooling you, so we have to keep that story up until next term, when I can send you back."

"Yes, poor, traumatized Katie needs to be homeschooled because someone murdered her mom and then she lost her aunt... It's a handy excuse... Better than 'yeah, she's cutting school so she can help her boyfriend save the world.' If only they knew who really killed the bitch."

She saw her dad stiffen slightly. She suspected it was more about Casey than her mother, but she knew both losses had been difficult for him. "Sorry, Dad," she said quickly. "I wasn't trying to upset you. I just think it's funny we're using the bitch as an excuse considering I'm the one who did it... And I'm fine."

"I know you are, Punk... But I still worry."

"Don't." She kissed his cheek. "Now, bring forth the boring learning material."

"You know, you could just test out of school, Katie. You're smart enough."

"Yeah, but... My team needs me, Dad. I'm staying. Even if I do find it agonizingly boring."

Katie... A voice whispered in her mind. Katie stiffened as every nerve in her body went into high alert.

"What's wrong?" Her father asked, noticing the change in her.

"I... Nothing," Katie said. "Just hallucinating."

"Katie-"

"I'm okay. I just need a minute." Katie ran to the bathroom, suddenly feeling sick. She knelt over the toilet for a minute, certain she was going to vomit, until the sensation passed. Finally, she stood back up and splashed water on her face. She gripped the sink as she stared into the mirror, and that was when she saw something unexpected.

Her mother looked back at her. Katie had always looked more like her father than her mother, so it wasn't a trick of the light or anything else. She looked behind her, certain the bitch would be standing there, but she was alone.

Katie... The voice said again. She turned back around to see her mother still looking back at her. Her mouth opened and she began to laugh, but a man's laugh came out instead. Suddenly, her reflection shifted, slowly melting away into the face of a man with blue skin.

Katie felt compelled to reach toward the man in the mirror. She nearly did it, but she stopped herself just in time. "Go away!" She shouted. "Leave me alone!"

"Katie? Katie, are you okay?" Her dad called through the bathroom door.

Her head was throbbing now as she struggled to keep control of her own mind. She knew she needed to look away, but she couldn't. Dad... She thought frantically. Dad, help me!

Her father must have been worried by her lack of response, because suddenly, the bathroom door was kicked in. The man vanished from the mirror and Katie found herself staring only at her own reflection. Shaking, she fell to her hands and knees and clung to the toilet as she finally began to vomit.

"Katie!" Her father cried out. He held her as she threw up until she finally stopped. He cleaned her face up and let her cry into his chest as she continued to shake. "What happened?" He finally asked. "Are you sick?"

"I don't know," she managed to reply. Whatever that had been, she'd never felt anything like it. She hated to admit it, but Katie was scared. She let her father carry her back to her room. He put her into her bed and stayed with her until she finally passed out, all thoughts of homeschooling forgotten.

ANGIE

She was still avoiding everyone. Angie went to school and went straight home. She would acknowledge Kenny when he was around, and she tried to keep up the façade of being okay, but he saw through that. She wanted to let him in, but she was too scared.

"Do you want pizza tonight?" Tanya asked, making her jump.

"What? Oh... Um... Sure," Angie replied quickly.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?"

"I'm fine."

Tanya looked skeptical. "Angie... You know, sometimes, it helps to talk about things."

"I can't exactly go to a therapist and tell them the truth," Angie said. "They'd lock me up and throw away the key thinking I was a nutcase."

"There are some people who understand these things, honey."

"I'll be okay, Tanya. Really." She tried her best to smile.

"No one expects you to just be okay, Angie. Not after everything that happened to you."

"I appreciate your concern... Really. But I'll be fine. I just need to keep living my life." Angie didn't add that just waking up and getting out of bed was becoming increasingly difficult for her. Zell had taken everything from her, and she'd been powerless to stop it. She wasn't some terrifying, powerful Sorceress. She wasn't the Princess of Zedd and Rita's Empire. She was nothing. She was just the terrified weirdo she'd been growing up, and now, she was a murderer, too.

You killed your baby, she thought. She knew it hadn't really been some innocent baby. That child had not been human. It had nothing good in it, and it would have destroyed the world, but that didn't make it any easier. Maybe Angie really was evil. Maybe she was everything her former foster families had claimed. Maybe she didn't deserve to live.

"Angie? Angie, sweetheart... Talk to me," Tanya said urgently.

Angie realized she was crying. She wiped the tears away quickly, but more fell. All she wanted was to stop the pain, and to stop being terrified all the time. Zell was after her. She knew that. He was furious she'd thrown a wrench in his plans by destroying the monster he'd created. He would kill her if he ever got his hands on her, but first, he'd probably do it again... He'd rape her, and he'd make her have the monster this time, and she couldn't stop him. She was too weak. She was powerless. She was...

"Angie, stop." A new voice was speaking now. Angie realized Tanya had left the room. "Stop, okay? You're safe. You're okay. Don't hurt yourself."

It took her a moment to realize it was Taylor talking. Angie looked at him, wondering what he was talking about, and realized her hands were sparking. She'd burned herself a couple of times and she hadn't even felt it.

"Breathe, Angie... Just breathe. Just focus on me," Taylor said urgently. She knew he was pouring every ounce of soothing energy he could into her.

Angie collapsed against him, releasing the energy that had been building up until it hit the wall of the room. The house shook slightly, but nothing broke. She supposed that was a plus. She cried on his shoulder for a couple of minutes before her mind fully cleared.

"It's okay. It's over now," Taylor promised her.

"It's never over," Angie whispered. "He's going to come for me."

"He'll have to get through me, and that's not going to happen."

"You can't take him by yourself."

"Then we'll fight him together. I'll protect you, Angie. I promise." He paused. "What will help you calm down?"

Angie sighed. "Kenny," she admitted. "I want to see Kenny. He always knows how to make me laugh... But I can't put this on him, Taylor. That's not fair to him."

"The guy's driving himself nuts trying to be there for you, Angie. Let him," Taylor said. "He wants to help."

She nodded. "Okay... I'll try."

"I can call him... Invite him over. Tanya's organizing a pizza night."

"Okay... I mean, if she's alright with it."

"She'll be fine with it. You know she will." He finally released her because it was clear she was calmer.

"I'll text him," Angie said. She pulled out her phone and typed up a text before she could chicken out. Can you come over? Free pizza.

She was pretty sure he'd either ignore her or say he had gymnastics training, but he replied immediately with, Sounds great. Be right over.

Angie braced herself to try and let Kenny back in. If anyone might be able to help her through this, it was him. Kenny clearly cared about her. He'd risked everything just to go to her mother, his sworn enemy, to try to get her some help. She owed him. Pushing him out of her life was unfair, even if she was doing it to try to protect him.

KENNY

He'd been beyond relieved when Angie texted him. He rushed over to Tanya's house, not sure what to expect. Angie looked pretty sad, and he noticed a couple of marks on her arms. "What happened?" He asked.

"I misfired," Angie admitted. "I was freaking out, and apparently, I burned myself. Taylor healed them a little, but the rest is probably going to have to heal naturally."

"Angie..." Kenny sighed. "I hate that you hurt yourself."

"It wasn't on purpose," she promised. "I just lost control. I'll be okay. It doesn't even hurt that much."

"How can I help?"

"Just be you... It's easier with you."

They ate pizza, which Kenny usually didn't indulge in. It was greasy and unhealthy and his coach would kill him, but he figured two slices of deliciousness wouldn't hurt him too much as long as his coach didn't know. He'd planned to stop at one, but it had been so long since he'd had pizza and he was starving, and he couldn't resist a second slice.

A while later, after he'd managed to help Angie relax to the point that she was practically her old self again, it was time to leave. Angie looked devastated. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Nights are hard," Angie admitted. "I can't sleep... I have nightmares. I had to put a soundproofing spell on my room just so my screams didn't wake everyone up."

"Come back with me... Maybe I can keep the nightmares away."

"Kenny..."

"The first night, after it happened, you slept peacefully. I keep you calm, Angie. Let me help."

She sighed. "Don't you think Tommy and your mom will have an issue with me sleeping in your bed with you?"

"If all we're doing is sleeping? Not at all."

She looked like she wanted to protest, but her obvious exhaustion won out. "Okay," she said. "Okay, I'll crash with you tonight..."

They went back to Tommy's house. His mother and Tommy looked mildly surprised when he brought her over, but they welcomed her anyway. "Mom... Angie's not sleeping," Kenny told her when Angie was out of earshot. "I asked her to stay over to see if I can help. Is that okay?"

"Of course it is. I know she's been through hell," his mother replied.

"You're not upset I invited a girl to share my bed?"

"Considering I know Angie's not looking to hook up with someone right now and I know you're not that sort of kid, of course not. I trust you completely, Kenny. And she needs you."

When they finally went upstairs, Kenny changed in the bathroom while Angie changed in his room. He crawled into the bed and opened his arms. Shyly, Angie curled up beside him, allowing him to hold her. Although she was stiff at first, as soon as he actually held her, she relaxed.

He stayed awake for a while, determined to be aware in case she had a nightmare. After over an hour, he relaxed enough to fall asleep beside her. When they woke up the following morning, Angie was calmer than he'd seen her in weeks.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"No problem," he said. He'd liked having her in his arms all night. Angie wasn't the only one it soothed.

She surprised him when she gave him a quick kiss. "What was that for?" He asked.

"For being you," she replied. "I'm sorry I pushed you away, Kenny. I was scared."

"You don't have to apologize."

"Yes I do. You didn't deserve that. I love you. I'm happy you're my... Well... Boyfriend."

He smiled at her use of the word. "We never officially said that," he said.

"But it's what you are. Right?"

"Definitely." He kissed her forehead. "I love you, Angie. And I'm here for you, no matter what."

They held each other's hands at the breakfast table. His mother smiled at them like she thought they were the cutest thing ever. Josh raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

Kenny noticed his mom and Billy holding hands, too, when they thought no one was looking. That's just weird, he thought. There was no way his mom and his Godfather were a thing... Right? No one dates my mom, he decided. Not even Billy. Kenny was protective of his mother, and considering everything his dad had put her through, he had every right to be. Still, he had to admit that he knew Billy would never hurt her. If they were a thing, maybe he could accept it... Maybe.

TWO WEEKS LATER.

DUSTIN

Things were almost back to normal, or at least normal for the Power Rangers. His training sessions were going increasingly well. He'd gained a few new students, which he never minded. It was fun working with more people, and he liked teaching.

Ollie had started coming every single night, determined to channel his grief into something positive by learning to become a warrior. Dustin had nothing but respect for the kid. He couldn't even begin to imagine what he was going through, but Ollie was showing a whole new side of himself as he trained. He had an inner strength Dustin hadn't expected.

Angie was back, too. Kenny had coaxed her into returning so she could fight, thereby empowering herself and taking the edge off of her fear. She was doing a lot better. Dustin knew she was crashing at Kenny's house more often than not because it helped keep away her nightmares.

Today, he had an unexpected new student. Angie had finally convinced Taylor to join the fun. He noticed Taylor keeping to himself. "Hey, why don't you work with Josh for a bit?" Dustin suggested. He knew the two boys were close.

"I don't want to hurt him," Taylor said.

"You won't. Josh is no pushover in battle, believe it or not. He's great."

He watched as the two boys shyly began to spar. Taylor was hesitant to do anything, so Josh finally took the lead, attacking. Taylor dodged the attack well, but wouldn't attack back. "It's okay, Taylor," Josh said. "Try to hit me."

"What if I hurt you?" Taylor protested.

"You won't. I trust you."

With Taylor fighting back, things got interesting. Josh, as usual, adapted well. He was able to dodge all of Taylor's attacks and put Taylor on his back. Taylor looked stunned, but he recovered quickly, sweeping Josh's legs out from under him so Josh landed on top of him. The two boys started laughing and relaxed. Dustin was not oblivious to the look they shared between them.

Hmmm... Maybe that's why Josh was so distracted when I started training him, he thought. It was obvious how strong Josh's affection for Taylor was, but what surprised Dustin was how mutual that affection appeared to be. Taylor's eyes lit up when he looked at Josh in a way that they didn't when he was with other people. It was the only time his smile seemed to reach his eyes and he looked at Josh like there was no one else on the planet.

Ah, young love, Dustin thought with a smile. He was nothing if not accepting, so the fact that the boys shared a gender didn't even register as a thing. They were cute together. He never saw Josh as relaxed as he was with Taylor. He wondered if anyone else had noticed. It was obvious the boys didn't want anyone to know, and they never directly acted like a couple or anything, but Dustin knew love when he saw it.

Someone came up behind him and knocked him on his butt. Dustin looked up in confusion and saw Kira's lovely face smiling down at him. "Gotcha," she said with a laugh.

That's love, he thought with a smile of his own. He had become totally smitten with Kira, and it was probably painfully obvious to everyone, but he'd tried to keep it to himself. She offered him her hand and he took it, allowing her to pull him back onto his feet.

"Netflix night?" She asked.

He nodded. "Of course." He was excited. Any excuse to spend extra time with Kira was a good one. He went back to trying to focus on his students like a good trainer.

CALEB

Although Caleb had seen Taylor running around Angel Grove High, normally on his way to getting detention for one reason or another, he hadn't talked to him. Taylor seemed to avoid him and Thorn. That's why he was surprised when Taylor walked over to him during the training session.

"Um... Hi, Caleb," he said awkwardly. "Listen... If you don't want me coming around here, I understand. I mean, I know you must hate me. I'd hate me if I were you, but-"

"Taylor, slow down. I don't even know you. Why would I hate you?" Caleb asked.

"Because I'm the evil asshole who slept with your boyfriend while you were dead and used your death to manipulate him?"

Caleb flinched. He hadn't expected Taylor to be so blunt. "Okay, yeah, that was messed up... But it's in the past. I know you did it to protect your mom. I get that. So it's fine, okay? Just... Maybe don't mention it again?"

"I just wanted you to know I'm sorry. Really. I didn't want to hurt him... I didn't want to hurt either of you."

"I know. We're cool, Taylor. Okay?"

Taylor looked relieved. "Okay," he said. "I mean... You could punch me or something if it'll make you feel better. I deserve it."

Caleb could tell he genuinely felt awful about what had happened. He was willing to move on if Taylor was. "There's no need for that," Caleb promised him. "Just don't ever try to seduce him again and we're fine."

Taylor nodded. He walked away and Caleb shook his head. "Are you okay?" Thorn asked, coming over.

"Yeah... Taylor just apologized for... Well..." Caleb began.

"Awkward."

"Yeah. Seriously."

"Are you okay with him being around?"

"Yeah. I mean, he didn't have a choice, and it's obvious he feels bad about it. I just don't want to think about it, you know?"

"Believe me, I know. I have to separate him from the guy who did that, too. It's hard... I hate that I cheated on you."

"You didn't. I was dead, Thorn. And you were grieving and severely traumatized."

"It still feels like I cheated on you... And it bothers me."

"I'm not mad. You know I'm not."

"You're too good to me."

"I love you." Caleb kissed him, and the conversation ended, to his relief. He could handle Taylor being around as long as he didn't have to think about the fact that he'd slept with his boyfriend. Taylor was a different person now, and to be honest, so were Thorn and Caleb. Everything had changed. They just needed to keep moving forward.

JAYDEN

He was on the phone with Katie. "Everything's going great," he assured her. "I miss you, though. I really want to head to Angel Grove."

"Soon, okay?" Katie asked. "Spend time with Ji. You guys deserve a break."

"We're running out of things to do," Jayden said with a laugh.

"It's still good to spend quality time together. It's important, Jayden."

He was about to reply when Katie suddenly started gasping. "Katie? Katie, are you alright?" He asked frantically.

"I... Something's wrong, Jayden..." She managed to reply. He heard the phone drop.

"Katie? Katie?" He called urgently. When she didn't reply, Jayden knew what he had to do. "Ji... I have to go. Katie's in trouble," he said as he ran into the kitchen.

Ji nodded. "Go to her. Send my love. I'll see you soon," he said.

Jayden used the teleportation symbol to send himself to Angel Grove. He found Katie struggling for breath and barely conscious. Without another word, he scooped her up in his arms and rushed to the Command Center.

ZORDON

He liked to tell himself that he didn't have PTSD issues, but seeing Katie as Jayden rushed into the Command Center, he suddenly flashed back on the past when he'd seen someone who looked nearly identical to the way she did now.

As the Chosen arrived back at the farm, he saw Quintus carrying Xia in his arms and Zedd tossed across Winifred's saddle, unmoving. He was pale and barely conscious, and some sort of poison was spreading through his veins. He could see it through his skin. "What happened?" Zordon demanded.

"Lord Xylon attacked," Dimitri explained.

"Why is Quin carrying Xia?"

"Her head is injured. She lost consciousness."

"Bring her to my father. He can heal her." Zordon looked at Zedd. "Does he live?" He nearly whispered.

"Barely," Caius said. "His father has poisoned him. I do not believe we have much time to save him."

Zordon pulled Zedd off of Winifred and into his arms. He carried him into the house. "We must reveal his activities to my father," he said sadly. "There is no other choice if we want to save his life." Zedd was motionless and barely breathing now.

"He is right," Raven said. "We are losing him."

As Zordon carried Zedd, they heard Zedd cry out in pain. Raven automatically began singing softly, taking his hand and trying to comfort him with his light. Zedd was trembling violently from the poison, but he stopped whimpering.

"What has happened?" Zordon's father demanded. "Bring him to me!"

Zordon was shaking as his father's anger became clear, but he carefully placed Zedd on a table. His father turned to Raven. "Please retrieve Caius for me," he said.

When Raven returned with Caius, Zordon's father began speaking urgently. "Caius, Zedd has been poisoned with a powerful toxin. If we do not create an antidote quickly, he will die," he said. "The potion is complex. I trust you and you alone to help me prepare it."

Zordon's father stepped out of the energy tube. It was the first time he had done that in front of anyone except Zordon.

"I fear Zedd has little time left. I must be fully present for this," His father explained. He sent Raven, Quintus, and Zordon away, but once Caius had started working on the potion, he'd gone upstairs and attacked Zordon. It had been the worst he'd ever hurt him, and Zordon had been certain he was going to kill him, but something had stopped it from going quite that far. Unfortunately, Zordon had blacked out, and by the time he came around, he was too late to help Zedd.

"Zordon, I need your help," Caius said gently, snapping him back to the present. "I know this poison. It's the same one that-"

"Xylon used to poison Zedd. I know," Zordon said. "How do we save her?"

"Katie's in bad shape. Zedd was an incubus, and that gave him an edge against this poison. Katie doesn't have that, so it's spreading quicker. We have to brew the antidote quickly. I can't do it alone."

"But you remember it?"

"I do. These are the items I need. Please gather them as fast as you can, and I'll brew it. There's still time to save her life."

Zordon focused then. His Ranger was in danger. Not only was Katie one of his best Power Rangers, but she held a special place in his heart. He wasn't sure what it was about that girl that made him get so attached, but he knew he couldn't allow anything to happen to her now.

As Caius brewed the potion, Zordon found himself thinking aloud. "Why would Xylon attack Katie?" He wondered.

"You said Xylon is Zedd's father," Jayden said. He had refused to leave Katie's side. Tommy had also shown up, and he kept stroking Katie's hair, not paying attention to anything but his daughter. "Maybe Zedd asked him to attack her."

"Zedd would never willingly work with that man," Zordon said firmly. "Evil or not, he hates him."

"He's right. I fear it was on Zell's order," Caius said.

"Zell? Who's Zell?" Jayden asked.

Zordon really hated that question. Thankfully, Caius answered for him and began explaining things. Jayden's eyes went wide. "And you're telling me that this monster is after Katie? Why?" He asked.

"I wish I knew," Zordon said. "Maybe because she's important to me. It wouldn't be the first time he tried to go after someone I cared about..."

"I feel like it's more than that," Caius said. "Unfortunately, nothing's come to me. I don't actually know for certain what his motivation is..." He paused. "It's ready. Step aside, please, Gentlemen." He gave Katie the antidote.

Her shaking stopped quickly, and Zordon could see the poison retreating from her veins slowly. Her breathing began to even out. She didn't open her eyes, but he knew with rest, she would be fine.

He excused himself after he was certain Katie was well. Caius followed him. "Are you alright?" He asked.

"No," Zordon admitted. "I can't get that day out of my head, Caius... Everything changed that day."

"I know it did," Caius said gently. "But Katie is going to be fine. She's out of the woods."

"She was lucky... And if you hadn't shown up, I would have been useless to help her."

"I had a vision alerting me to the issue... But you would have called me in anyway, Zordon."

"Whenever I snapped out of that memory, but that may have been too late. I have to focus. I can't let all of this turn me back into a teenager, Caius. I'm a leader now."

"You were a leader then, too. You protected us. You saved us."

"Not all of you."

"You did the best you could."

"I have to do better this time. Minimal loss is not acceptable. I'm not letting him hurt them."

"What about Zedd and Rita? Will you be able to fight them now, with him back?"

"It does confuse the lines a bit, I admit... I had put them both firmly into the category of enemies... I had to distance myself for all of these centuries, to stop seeing them as my friends... Now, it's more difficult."

"You'll do what you must in the end. I know that."

Zordon nodded. When Caius said he knew things, he was usually right. Still, he hoped he'd have the strength to be the leader his Power Rangers needed when it counted the most.

KENNY

He hadn't eaten in nearly twenty-four hours, and he hadn't slept in more than that. He was exhausted, but he had a competition coming up, and his coach kept pushing him...

Suddenly, his grip slipped. Kenny hit his head on the bar hard and fell to the ground. It knocked him out for a second. When he came around, his coach was beside him. "Come on," he said. "Walk it off, Kenny. You didn't hit it that hard."

Kenny nodded, which hurt. He stood back up. He was shaky, but he was nearly done. He just had to do one more run-through of his routine and he'd get to go home. He could rest then, and maybe eat something.

He started working again. He had to practice his vault. He went into it focused, but as he flew through the air, he became dizzy, and he lost track of where his body was. He landed hard and knew he wasn't okay. He couldn't move. He'd hit his neck and the back of his head.

"Stay there," his coach instructed him. "Don't move." He knew it must be as bad as he thought then. His coach would never let him slack off unless he was seriously injured.

"Kenny!" Angie cried as she ran into the training area. She had come by to meet him and take him home. She immediately tried to heal him, but he stopped her.

"Cameras," he managed to say. "Don't."

"I'm calling an ambulance," his coach said.

"No... No, just call my mom," Kenny insisted. "Please."

"Kenny, you're hurt-"

"Please. I won't go to the hospital unless my mom's here."

His coach gave in. Kenny was in severe pain. That was actually a good thing. He could feel the pain in his neck. He hadn't paralyzed himself. Still, he knew if he moved even slightly, that could change.

His mother arrived quickly. She saw the shape he was in. "He won't let me help," Angie said softly.

"We'll get him to the Command Center," his mother said, to his shock.

"But Mom... The cameras..." Kenny protested.

"I know how to get around that. How do you think I covered up the first time you teleported out of here?" She asked. "It's okay, Kenny. Just try to relax."

His mother looked at his coach and said, "Did you let him take a break at any point, Alan? Maybe to eat?"

"He's got to train, Kimberly," his coach said.

"You son of a bitch! I warned you if you pulled this again, I'd put a stop to it."

"Did my mom just say 'son of a bitch?' To Coach?" Kenny asked Angie.

"Yeah, she did," Angie confirmed.

"This is bad..."

Unfortunately, the pain got worse, and Kenny couldn't focus on what happened next. Somehow, he found himself at the Command Center. "The cameras are being handled," his mother promised him. "I told Billy where the feed is. He hacked in to delete it. Your coach won't say anything if he knows what's good for him. Let them fix you."

Angie worked magic while Zordon and Alpha kept Kenny on a healing bay beside Katie. "What happened?" Kenny demanded as he realized who was on the other bed.

"Katie was poisoned," Alpha explained calmly. "She's doing much better now, though."

"I guess Sage is in charge again?"

"Until Katie's back on her feet, yes," Zordon said. "Are you feeling better, Kenny?"

He nervously moved his neck. There was almost no pain. "Yeah," he said. "Thanks. I'll be more careful next time."

"There won't be a next time," his mother said firmly.

"Mom-"

"You're not going back to him. There are other coaches, Kenny... Ones who won't work you to death. Alan was your father's coach, and he's very good at what he does, but he's a threat to your health. I won't let him keep doing this to you. I'm finding you a different coach, and you're taking a few weeks off. We'll let people think you're still recovering from a minor neck injury."

"But Mom-"

"No. I'm not letting that bastard hurt you ever again. I'm putting my foot down, Kenny."

He sighed. He had the best coach in Angel Grove. He knew he was good on his own, but what if he wasn't as good without his coach pushing him? The idea of failing scared Kenny more than anything.

"You could have killed yourself," Angie said softly. She looked weak and Kenny knew the healing magic had taken a lot out of her. "I can't lose you, Kenny."

He squeezed her hand. "You won't," he promised. He could do this. He could still be a great gymnast without a coach that even he had to admit was pretty abusive. When he'd hit his head, he should have called an ambulance or at least refused to let him continue training that night. Instead, he'd pushed him until he'd really gotten hurt. Maybe it was time Kenny accepted that there were other ways to achieve his dream.

SAGE

She'd been conscious again for a week now. During that time, she'd worked tirelessly to take care of Jason and the boys as much as she could. It wasn't easy, especially since Jason was doing everything in his power to push her away.

Sage was exhausted. She tried to use magic to sooth Jason so he could sleep without nightmares. Since he fought the magic tooth and nail, it was taking a lot out of her. She tried to soothe him when he was awake with her Shaman parlor tricks. He fought that, too. Jason didn't want to be soothed. He wanted to hate himself for what had happened to Becky. He wanted to be punished. How could she help him if he kept fighting her?

"Mom? Are you okay?" Troy asked.

"Yeah... Just tired," Sage admitted.

"Can I help?"

"You're already helping plenty. How are the kids doing?"

"Luke's doing okay. He's found a way to channel everything he's feeling into being productive. I just wish he wouldn't take on so much. He's put a lot of pressure on himself. Ollie's focused on training. He's picked up a lot. I'm impressed, actually. The kid can fight."

"He's Jason's. It's in his blood," Sage said.

"I guess it is. Vinny still won't speak... He's in therapy now, but the shrink just has him drawing, because he refuses to say a word. Jason said he mostly just sits there and stares at her."

"He needs time. He'll get there. When he's ready to talk, he will."

"He still can't sleep unless I stay with him. His night terrors are severe."

"I can't blame him."

"Neither can I, but I don't know what to do to make them stop. The only way they stay away is if I watch him while he sleeps and send him soothing energy all night."

"You're doing a great job, Troy. That's all you can do right now."

"Robby's doing better. He stopped asking when his mom's coming back. I think Billy really helped him understand what's going on."

"I'm glad."

"I'm worried about Jason, Mom. He's really depressed. He keeps a smile around the kids, but it's fake."

"I'm trying to help him."

"I know you are, but what if it's not enough? I think he needs more than you can give, Mom. You're making yourself sick."

"I'm fine, Troy."

"You're lying. I see how bad this is affecting you."

"There's nothing I can do. He needs me, and you know I love Jason. I have to help if I can. It's what a Shaman does."

"I know, but... Not at the expense of your health, Mom. Okay?"

"I'm trying."

"Try harder. I don't want anything to happen to you. It's obvious Jason's draining all of your energy."

He was right, but she didn't have the heart to tell Jason she needed a break. She just nodded at her son. "I'll do my best." She kissed his cheek. "Thanks for trying to take care of me. I'll be okay, Troy. I promise."

She knew something needed to change soon or she'd be useless. The team needed her. Katie was recovering from being poisoned. Kenny was shaky. Zeke was still a hot mess and was refusing to come back to the team. Thorn finally seemed to be okay, which was a relief, but he was the only one. Maddie was still pretty freaked out about Tanner, and they all knew that the prison wouldn't keep him trapped forever. Then there was Josh, who seemed to be calmer lately, but who was still a bit distracted. She knew it had something to do with Taylor, and it bothered her that Josh couldn't seem to focus at times because he was trying so hard to hold Taylor's hand and help him through all of his drama.

They need me, she thought. I have to be strong. I can't let Jason drain all of my energy... But I can't just abandon him. She sighed, knowing if something didn't give soon, it was going to become a serious problem.

CASEY

She was free from the Underworld God, but that didn't mean she wasn't paying attention to what he was doing. As she saw him attempt to capture the soul of a young girl who clearly didn't belong there, she felt her energy burning through her soul.

The girl's fear was obvious. "No!" She cried. "Please! I don't want to be yours! I want to go home! I'm only sixteen! Please!"

Casey knew it hadn't been the girl's time. She read her energy and could suddenly see what had happened. Her parents had sacrificed her to save themselves. They'd offered up her life and her soul just so they could live longer, and the bastard had accepted the deal.

"Let her go," Casey said firmly. The girl was the same age as her children. She wasn't about to let this happen.

"Ugh! Not you," the God mumbled. He looked at her. "Get lost, Casey. This does not concern you."

"It does now," Casey said. She felt someone watching from nearby. A young woman who looked remarkably like Sage smiled back at her.

Do it, she said to Casey telepathically. This has always been your destiny, my dear daughter.

This wasn't Casey's mother, but she knew she was one of her ancestors. She nodded before turning back to the God. "Your reign of terror ends now," she told him. She gathered up every ounce of strength she had and touched him.

The God cried out in agony as Casey stripped every single ability off of his soul. Slowly but surely, he began to fade, until there was nearly nothing left. "Impossible!" He cried.

Her ancestor looked at him and laughed. "I told you one of my line would be the end of you," she said.

"Rose!" He shouted in anger. "Curse you, Woman!"

"You can't. You aren't strong enough anymore."

He suddenly looked genuinely afraid. Casey finished him off quickly and was stunned as power surged through her. "What is that?" Casey demanded.

"His gifts have to go somewhere, Casey," the woman told her. "And only you are strong enough to take his place."

"Wait... What?" Casey asked. "I'm just a spirit!"

"On the contrary, my dear daughter... You are a Goddess."

Casey wanted to protest, but somehow, she knew that this had been her path all along. "I don't want the power," she argued anyway. "That's not who I am."

"And that is exactly why you are meant for this role. You are compassionate and kind and your entire life was about protecting the innocent and healing those who needed it most. Now, as a Goddess of the Underworld, you can do that on a much larger scale. You can make things right, Casey. I'm very proud of you." She kissed her forehead before vanishing.

Casey stared at the Underworld surrounding her... Her Underworld. She shook her head and said, "Well, that was the last thing I expected." She noticed the little girl still trembling in terror.

"Are you going to hurt me?" The girl asked.

"No, sweet girl," she said softly. Casey touched the girl and suddenly knew her entire life story. Apparently, that was one of her new powers. She'd been able to read souls before, but never like this. "I'm going to make things right." She took the child's pain before sending her back to her body. She would cast a spell later to ensure she ended up with a family who would care for her the right way. She summoned the girl's parents to her Underworld, making them both drop dead in the process.

"Hey! We had a deal!" The father protested.

Casey looked at them with disgust. "Your contract is null and void," she informed them. "Welcome to your Afterlife."

RITA

She knew they were out of time. Tanner had spotted the biggest crack in the prison yet. He ran to it before she could stop him and tapped it. The entire prison shattered.

"Finally! After over two decades, we're free!" Zedd cried.

"Oh, please!" Rita said in annoyance. "Two decades is a blink! Try being locked up for ten thousand years and then we'll talk!"

"Stop ruining the moment, Woman! It's time to conquer Earth!"

"I said it better," Rita mumbled.

Merkhet smiled at them as they crossed into the outer realm. "Lovely," she said. "Now, let's get to work."

"Empress Rita! Lord Zedd!" Squatt cried with delight. He bounced off the walls as he shouted, "They're free! They're free! Horray!"

"Welcome back, Empress... My Lord," Finster added.

"Yes, welcome!" Baboo added quickly.

"How did it shatter, anyway?" Rita asked. "Where did that last crack come from?"

"The former Green Ranger apparently created quite a stir in the Underworld... My sources say she's taken over," Merkhet said. "The destruction of the evil deity who used to run it sent a strong amount of energy out. It shattered the last of the prison's defenses."

"Zedd... We should be careful," Rita said. "We're not ready yet... And if... If he's out there..."

"He won't bother us if we don't bother him," Zedd said, but he didn't sound so certain.

"You won't be going out there yet," Merkhet promised. "Not to battle, anyway. It's time to bring your minions home."

"Where is Goldar?" Zedd asked. "He's at the top of the list."

"He's hiding out in Angel Grove," Merkhet replied. "We've been communicating daily. I'm told Rito is also running around the area."

"My brother?" Rita asked with interest. "Yes! Get him here. I want to see him."

"Very well." Merkhet snapped her fingers and both Rito and Goldar appeared.

"Master! Empress!" Goldar cried out in glee. He bowed to them both. "You have finally returned!"

"Sis!" Rito shouted. He hugged her and Rita instantly felt better. She'd missed her pest of a baby brother. "And Ed! Good to see you!"

"It's Zedd, you useless imbecile!" Zedd shouted.

"Right, right. Sorry, Ed. So, how've you been, Sis? You look great!"

"Do I get an introduction?" Tanner asked, apparently tired of being ignored.

"Goldar, Rito, this is my son, Tanner," Zedd said.

"You had another kid, Sis?" Rito asked.

"That brat's not mine," Rita said with disgust.

"What? Ed cheated on you? Do you want me to beat him up? I'll do it!"

"Let it go, Rito. It gave me a nice break from having to deal with him."

"My mother is Aisha, the former Yellow Ranger," Tanner explained.

"Master! You kidnapped Aisha?" Goldar asked. "I am impressed! And she's cute, too!"

"Hush, Goldar. I don't want to talk about that," Zedd said. Rita wondered why that was. Zedd had changed since the little girl with the light magic had been around. He was still evil, and he didn't seem to have the ability to love or anything, but he seemed to care more. It was obvious he'd been distracted. Rita suspected Zedd's past had been haunting him, but he wouldn't talk about it. "My son is an important part of this mission. You will treat him with respect, and that is all you need to know."

"Yes, Master."

"Now, who should we round up first?" Zedd asked, changing the subject.

"Scorpina, of course!" Rita said.

"Uh-oh..." Squatt mumbled.

"Not our sister..." Baboo added softly. They both looked terrified.

"Oooh, yeah!" Rito said. "Goldar, where's the Mrs?"

"I haven't seen her," Goldar said sadly. "We had to split up when you were both captured, and I haven't been able to find her."

"Then that is our first mission!" Rita declared. "Find Scorpina and bring her home. She's always been one of my favorites."

"An excellent decision, Rita," Merkhet said. "I look forward to working with her."

"Until our team is assembled and we have a plan, we must lay low," Zedd said. "The Power Rangers will try to destroy us before we are ready to fight them."

"He's right," Rita said. She didn't add that hiding seemed like a very good idea with Zell on the loose. "Merkhet... Can you summon my father?"

Merkhet hesitated. "Master Vile's been banished to the planet Onyx. No one's seen him anywhere else for quite some time... I can try, but it will take me a while to free him," she said.

"Can you use your mirror to contact him?"

"That much, I can do."

"Thank you. I want to talk to him." Rita made everyone leave once Merkhet connected her to her father. He came into view. "Daddy!" She cried with delight.

Her father jumped at her voice. "Rita?" He asked. "My darling daughter, is that you?"

"Yes! We're free, Daddy!"

He smiled. "Finally. Now, how will we reunite? I was captured shortly after all of you were and trapped here. My power is not what it should be, but if I can get off of this damned planet-"

"We'll free you, Daddy. I promise," she said. She wanted her father more than anything. Sure, he could be cruel at times, but she knew he would protect her. If anyone could possibly keep her safe from her childhood monster, it was her father, one of the most powerful forces of evil ever to live.

Zell's stronger, she reminded herself. Still, her father was her best bet. If there was anyone she wanted fighting by her side right now, it was him.

They were free. Zell was back. They were assembling an army to destroy the Power Rangers for good. All hell was about to break loose and all Rita knew was that whatever happened, everything was going to change.


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

TAMIRA

She wasn't sure how she'd gotten to the woods. The last thing Tamira remembered, she had been in bed, falling asleep. Had she been sleepwalking? Was she dreaming? What was going on?

It was really dark out, which was even more true beneath the thick trees. Tamira knew she needed to get out of there. She was wearing the clothes she'd gone to bed in, yellow plaid pajama pants and a Harry Potter t-shirt. She was barefoot, which made walking through the woods more difficult. She didn't have the replacement cell phone her dad had gotten her, either. Not only did that mean she had no way to call for help, but she didn't even have a flashlight.

"Hold up... Who needs a flashlight when I've got superpowers?" She asked aloud. She began to sing, and she felt better as light appeared in the woods.

You have a lovely voice, child, a voice whispered in her head. I do apologize. I had to be certain you were the one. It's nothing personal, my dear, but you are quite a bit more dangerous than you know. I am afraid I must snuff out that light of yours before it is too late.

"What the heck?" Tamira asked aloud. Something about the man whispering in her mind terrified her, but she tried not to panic.

Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind blew at her. It felt like she was hit with a tornado as the wind knocked her through the air. She screamed as she felt herself being flung over the edge of a cliff. As she flipped through the air toward her certain death, Tamira frantically reached out for anything that might help. She managed to grab onto a branch that dangled over the raging ocean beneath her. The branch was already starting to give and Tamira knew it wouldn't hold her for long.

"I'm so screwed..." She mumbled. She knew she couldn't give up, but it wasn't looking good. In an act of sheer desperation, as she tried to keep her grip on the branch, Tamira screamed, "Help!" It was a solid plan, but unfortunately, she was fairly certain no one was around to hear her.

ZEDD

He refused to sit around doing nothing. After being trapped for so long, Zedd needed to move around a bit. The prison had certainly been larger than Rita's space dumpster, but it was basically the size of a house, and that had eventually begun to feel extremely claustrophobic.

He didn't know what drew him into the woods that day. Perhaps it was the glow he noticed coming from deep inside. Or maybe it was something far worse.

Zell, he thought. He could feel him nearby. The bastard hadn't noticed him yet, but he had to be around for a reason. Zedd knew he should turn and run, but he had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach that he couldn't ignore.

When he heard a scream, he tried to ignore it. He was evil. He wasn't supposed to care... But then he heard her frantic cries for help.

Tamira, he realized. That's why the woods had been glowing.

Without stopping to think, Zedd raced toward the sound of her voice. She was crying when he found her, dangling from a branch that was starting to crack. The moment it did, she'd fall and either drown or be crushed upon the rocks below.

Walk away, he told himself. Let the girl perish. It's what evil does.

He shook his head. No! You couldn't save Raven. Save his descendant!

She'll only die later, the evil told him. You spared Raven once. Zell still killed him in the end. Maybe a building will mysteriously collapse on her head, too.

Tamira let out another scream as the branch nearly broke completely. "This little light of mine! I'm gonna let it shine..." She sang, desperately trying to soothe herself as she struggled to swing her body into a safer position. Her voice cracked as she nearly fell.

"Child! Don't let go!" Zedd shouted before he reached toward her.

"Zedd?" She asked in confusion.

"Take my hand, Tamira!"

She tried, but she couldn't reach him. She screamed as she nearly slipped. "I can't!" She cried. "It's too far!"

Her light dimmed in her panic. Zedd knew she was going to fall. "Keep singing, Tamira," he told her. She tried and the light brightened. Zedd tried to reach her using his staff. "Take it," he told her.

"I can't! I'll fall if I let go!"

"Do you trust me, Child?"

"Yes," Tamira replied without hesitating. That surprised him.

"Then trust that I will never let you fall."

Tamira nodded. Slowly, she reached toward the staff with one hand. She let the other one go and started to slip. Tamira let out a startled cry. Zedd reacted quickly, using magic to levitate the child up toward him. When he finally pulled her onto solid ground, Tamira wrapped her arms around his neck as she cried.

"You saved my life!" She said as she finally calmed down. She stared at him in wonder before hugging him.

He was startled. Hugs were not something evil entities often received. "You are hugging me..." He mumbled.

"Yeah," Tamira replied.

"Why?"

"Because you saved my life." She hugged him tighter.

Zedd felt something stir within him. The hug almost felt... Good. He couldn't feel good things, so it translated to something almost painful, but he was coming closer than he had in ages to feeling something other than hatred, rage, pain, and loneliness. "Yes I did. Why was it necessary?" He asked.

"I woke up here. Then some guy apologized and said he had to snuff out my light because I was dangerous." She shivered.

Zedd realized the child was barefoot and in a t-shirt. He knew she must be freezing. "That man is a monster. If you ever hear him again, ignore him... And reach out to me. I will protect you from him."

"I told my dad you're not evil."

"I am evil, Tamira. Extremely evil. But I will not harm you."

"Why?"

He sighed. "Because I owe Raven that much... And the man who attacked you killed him."

She looked frightened then. "Why is he after me?" She asked.

"It doesn't matter. He will not get you." He scooped her up in his arms. "I am bringing you home." With that, he carried her through the woods and back to the hotel she was living in with her father.

ZACK

The knock on his door woke him up. The last thing he'd expected was to open it to find a cloaked figure carrying his daughter. As the man removed his hood, Zack panicked. "Zedd? Let her go!" He shouted.

"Daddy, stop!" Tamira cried as Zedd set her down.

"Do be more cautious with her," Zedd said.

"You monster! What did you do to her?" Zack demanded.

"He saved me, Dad! I almost fell to my death, but he saved my life," Tamira insisted.

"What?" Zack blinked at her, not sure what the hell to think.

"Sleep well, Tamira," Zedd said. He turned to leave.

Tamira hugged him. "Tammy! We do not hug evil beings from other planets!" Zack said.

"Chill, Dad. He's not so evil," she said. "Goodnight, Zedd." She let him leave.

"What the heck is going on?" Zack demanded.

"You remember how Raven died heroically in battle?"

"Of course I do."

"The guy who killed him somehow put me in the woods... Maybe I was sleepwalking, maybe he teleported me... I have no idea... But he told me he had to snuff out my light and he sent me flying off a cliff, and I grabbed a branch, but it started to snap, and I thought I was gonna die, but Zedd showed up and he rescued me, so can you back the heck off? Because it's been a long night and I have school in the morning."

"I... My God, Tammy..." Zack shook his head and pulled her into his arms. He had been trying so hard to protect her, and this psycho had still gotten to her. The hardest part of this was knowing he couldn't protect her, but the second hardest part was definitely having to accept that in her hour of need, it had been Zedd who saved her.

My old enemy is my daughter's new hero... There's so much wrong with that, he thought. Still, he couldn't fully hate Zedd now. Not only had he been kind to her when Merkhet meant for him to do unspeakably horrible things to her, but he'd just saved her life. For all she'd been through, Tamira was still innocent. She was still a little girl. She hadn't lost that purity, and Zack knew that was entirely because, for whatever reason, Zedd had chosen not to harm her.

THE NEXT DAY.

TAYLOR

He was sitting in the park killing time. Taylor really didn't want to go home. He'd nearly gotten expelled for fighting. Half of the football team had declared open season on Josh, and one had hit his head. That's when Josh had snapped, fighting back wildly like he had no idea where he was. Apparently, that was because he still had damage from the explosion that head injuries could trigger.

Taylor had immediately joined in the fight to defend Josh. Together, they'd put two football players in the hospital, and they'd beaten the rest of them pretty badly, too. The principal had wanted to put Josh in detention and blame the entire thing on Taylor, whose record was much worse than Josh's. Instead, Josh had convinced them to call Tommy, who'd brought Tanya and mentioned the word "lawsuit." Josh got off with a warning and a visit to the hospital to make sure he was alright. Taylor, thanks to his "Aunt Tanya," got detention instead of being expelled.

Immediately, his mother had started texting him things like, What's wrong with you? What were you thinking? I don't need this. I can't handle you acting like this. Taylor had finally turned his cell phone off.

He felt eyes on him now. He half expected to see the damn horse again, but instead, he saw his father. Taylor stiffened, ready to fight even if he had no chance against his father, but nothing happened. Finally sick of being watched, Taylor demanded, "What the hell do you want?"

His father seemed surprised he'd seen him. "Taylor," he said.

"Yeah. That's my name. Were you expecting someone else? Are you surprised I'm still alive?"

His father laughed. "Not really. You're resourceful."

"No shit. Did you come here for a family reunion or to kill me?"

"Neither. I didn't know you were here."

"Great. Well, this was fun. Bye."

His father kept staring at him. Finally, Taylor snapped and asked, "What?"

After a moment, his father said, "It really is uncanny... I know this is Xia's doing... She put all of my light into a new vessel... But it's a bit unnerving..."

"If you're done rambling, Old Man, I've got better things to do. Either kill me and get it over with or leave me alone."

His father picked up a sword and Taylor felt panic kick in. Bad choice of words, he thought. To his shock, however, his father did not attack him.

"I wonder..." His father said. He tossed the sword at Taylor. "Run me through," he said.

"What?!" Taylor demanded in shock. "Are you out of your mind?"

"I just want to see if it will work... If you might be the one who can finally do it."

"You're nuts! No!"

"Pick it up, Taylor. Be a man! You hate me. I tortured you. I tortured your mother, and your sisters. I tried to rape Angeline. I scarred Tye for life."

Taylor felt anger taking control of him. He picked up the sword. It felt natural in his hands. He could do this. He could put an end to the monster he called his father once and for all. He could make the bastard pay for everything he'd ever done.

"Yes... Do it, Taylor... Kill me," his father said.

Taylor looked at him, unarmed and kneeling on the ground, waiting. He was defenseless. Taylor could kill him with no real effort... Except that, looking into his father's eyes, Taylor couldn't bring himself to do the deed.

He threw the sword at his father's feet. "No," he said firmly. "I'm not doing that."

His father shrugged apologetically. "It was worth a try," he said simply. He picked up the sword and vanished.

Taylor was shaking. He couldn't even begin to process what had just happened. He turned his cell phone on and immediately regretted it as a dozen or so more messages came in.

He was overwhelmed. He had just faced his father telling him to kill him, and now he had to face his mother's disappointment and guilt trips, too? His chest felt tight. He felt completely alone. Things at home were only getting worse. His mother couldn't "handle" him about ninety-nine percent of the time, even when he wasn't doing anything wrong. She'd told him more than once that he needed to leave her alone when all he did was say hello to her. Mostly she ignored him, but when she didn't, it was almost worse.

I can't go home... Not tonight... She's going to flip on me, he thought. The problem was, he had nowhere else to go.

He was starving, both for food and for energy. He hadn't been feeding his incubus side as often as he should because when he was healthy and strong, his mother got upset and accused him of being just like his father and Tanner. Taylor was weak, hungry, and thanks to his father, more confused than ever.

Why didn't he just kill me? He wondered. He'd have been doing me a favor.

He was positive he was going to collapse when someone came up to him. "Taylor?" Zeke asked. "Are you okay, bro?"

"I'm fine," Taylor said automatically.

"Dude, you're really pale."

"I'm Black. I can't be pale," Taylor reminded him.

"You're light-skinned for a black kid. I guess your dad used to be white when he had skin. But that's not the point. Your skin's lighter than usual. You look sick."

"I just need to-" He paused. "Never mind."

"Is this an incubus thing?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, I'm not going to offer to sleep with you because you're not my type," Zeke said with a laugh, "but can I help in some other way?"

"I can feed on happiness or magic, too... Not just sex."

"Then why haven't you?"

"Mom hates it... She thinks feeding it makes me evil."

Zeke frowned. "Well, too bad for Aisha. You can't just starve yourself, Taylor." Zeke helped him walk because Taylor was honestly too weak to do it without risking collapsing.

There were kids running around the playground. "There. Happiness," Zeke said. "It won't hurt them, right?"

"No," Taylor said. "They won't be affected. Happiness isn't like their life force. They can easily make more. They're playing. It's an endless supply right now."

"How do you do it?"

"Just sit me in the middle of it. I need to touch someone to do it."

"Teenagers touching kids on the playground is kind of frowned upon..." Zeke paused. "I have an idea. Guys! Who wants to play duck, duck, goose?"

"What's duck, duck, goose?" Taylor asked as the kids cheered.

"Sit and find out," Zeke said. The kids sat around him. Taylor was still confused, but sitting in the circle of small people was oddly comforting. Their pure happiness surrounded him.

Zeke walked around the circle touching everyone gently and saying, "Duck... Duck... Duck... Duck..." He went around twice before leaning in and telling Taylor softly, "Chase me." Then he touched Taylor's back and shouted, "Goose!"

The children cheered and giggled as Taylor chased Zeke around the circle. Taylor barely had the energy to run, but he tried, and he finally caught Zeke, who let out an overdramatic scream as Taylor touched him.

"Your turn," Zeke said. "Just do exactly what I did." He sat in the center of the circle, because apparently, the goose had captured and imprisoned him? Taylor wasn't really sure about that part. This game didn't make much sense.

Taylor realized Zeke had just given him a way to make contact with each and every happy little person in the circle. He touched them gently, careful to take only a little bit of energy from each of them. He knew it wouldn't hurt them in the slightest, but he also knew his mother would consider this proof that he was evil. They were innocent children and he was using them.

They're fine, he reminded himself. This wasn't sexual and they would feel nothing. He was literally drawing energy from the joy they'd already released into the universe. Still, in his head, he could see his mother's face staring at him with disapproval.

"Dude, pick a goose already," Zeke said with a laugh.

Taylor selected the kid with the most energy, who chased him eagerly. The goose ultimately caught him with a giggle and a final burst of pure joy that gave Taylor what he needed. He'd be good for a couple of days at least. Taylor sat in the center of the circle with Zeke and they remained there until the game ended.

"Thanks," Taylor said when he and Zeke were alone.

"No problem. I let you catch me, by the way. I'm actually undefeated in duck, duck, goose. No one could ever catch the ADHD goose!" He laughed.

"You saved my ass," Taylor admitted.

"Look, Taylor... I like your mom. She used to be one of my dad's best friends... But if she's hurting you-"

"She's not. She didn't do anything to me."

"She made you feel like you had to starve yourself. That's not okay. Just... If you need help-"

"It's no big deal, Zeke. She just doesn't understand. I'll be okay." Another text rang through on his phone. He sighed.

"Are you hungry?" Zeke asked.

"Huh?"

"Come over to my place... Dad's ordering from the best Italian place in Angel Grove."

"I don't have any money to eat out."

"You're my guest. I'll cover the food. And you can crash after. It'll be fun. We have a comfy couch, unless you're my dad, whose back can't handle it."

Taylor realized Zeke was making this offer purely so he didn't have to go home for the night. "Okay," he said. "I am pretty hungry."

"Great." Zeke smiled and said, "Follow me."

They got to the house and Taylor hesitated as Zeke opened the door. A tiny ball of energy ran to Zeke, flinging her arms around him before looking at Taylor.

"Hi," she said cheerfully before hugging him. Taylor had to steady himself as her energy hit him like a truck. "I'm Lilly."

"Um... Hi," Taylor said awkwardly. "I'm Taylor."

Lilly bounced away. Taylor looked at Zeke and tried not to let the fact that he knew the truth show. "Dude... You know, don't you?" Zeke asked. "It's pointless to lie to you about her."

"Zeke..." Taylor sighed. "I'm really sorry... What Tanner did to you was beyond cruel. I've known since the first time you touched my arm... But I didn't want to make things worse by bringing it up."

"It's okay, Taylor," Zeke said quickly. "You're not the one who should be sorry." He hesitated before putting an arm around Taylor's shoulder. "Come on." He led him inside.

"Zeke, finally," Rocky said. "Where were you? I was worried." He hesitated when he saw Taylor.

"Dad, can Taylor crash tonight?" Zeke asked.

"Well, it's not like I can say no with him standing right there," Rocky replied with a laugh. "Sure... Just, um, let me-"

"I've got dinner tonight," Zeke said quickly.

"Zeke, no-"

"I brought an extra mouth to feed. Don't argue." Zeke handed his father a wad of cash. "What do you want to eat, Taylor?"

"I'm not picky," Taylor said. "Just get me whatever you're getting."

"Cool. Hang on, okay?" He pulled out his cell phone and sent a text. "I told Maddie to tell your mom you're crashing."

"Wait, did Aisha not approve this?" Rocky asked.

"Dad," Zeke said firmly. "Taylor needs to crash tonight... Okay?"

Rocky raised an eyebrow at that, but nodded. "Okay," he said.

Taylor looked at Zeke gratefully. Not only had he given him a way to avoid going home, but he'd also made sure Taylor didn't need to call his mother. "Thanks, Man," he said.

"Anytime," Zeke said. "Now, onto the important stuff... Food!"

THE NEXT DAY.

SKULL

Things were starting to fall apart. The cops were looking to push Bulk through to his trial, and Skull knew he was going to be found guilty. The look on Lieutenant Stone's face told him they were out of time.

"Skullovitch... They've set a trial date. It's going to be a death penalty case," the Lieutenant said sadly.

"But... They can't... He can't... It's Bulk, Lieutenant Stone," Skull said frantically.

"I know, Skullovitch... Believe me, I know." He sighed. "We did everything we could."

"No! I refuse to believe there's no more hope for him!" Skull picked up a paperweight and tossed it across the room. It put a hole in the wall.

"Dad? Is everything okay?" Spike asked nervously as he came inside.

Skull couldn't cry in front of his son, so he put on a brave face. "No, but I'm gonna fix it, Spike," he promised before excusing himself.

Once he was alone outside on the grass, Skull repeated, "I'm gonna fix it... I am going to fix this!" He had to, after all. This was Bulk. Without Bulk, who was Skull? They were brothers, even if they shared no blood.

He picked up his phone and dialed the only person he still had faith in. "Hello?" She answered cheerfully. God, he loved her voice... It was so comforting, even now.

"Kimberly..." He said. He couldn't hold his fear in any longer, and his voice cracked. "Kimberly, they're going to kill him."

"Skull? Skull, slow down. What happened?"

"The trial is starting and they're seeking the death penalty and we're out of time, Kimberly! I failed him..."

"Oh God... No. We're not going to let that happen. We have the proof, but... But it's a little complicated to make it admissible."

"We need it, Kimberly... And fast."

"I know... Look, Skull, I'll make this right. I promise."

He believed her. If anyone could pull off a miracle, it was Kimberly. "Okay," he said softly. "But please hurry."

"I will."

Skull hung up and desperately clung to the last of his hope.

KIMBERLY

Bulk was going to be put to death for a crime she knew he hadn't committed. Kimberly knew they were out of time. She raced upstairs to Billy. "Have you had any luck with the lawyer?" She asked.

"We're making slow progress," Billy said. "Apparently, it's very hard to prove you're alive once you've been declared legally dead. I could be caught up in red tape for the next year."

"Bulk doesn't have a year, Billy. They're ready to sentence him to death."

Billy looked horrified. "Kim... We can't let that happen. He's innocent! And... And he saved my son."

"I know... So I have an idea. Tell Lieutenant Stone you're alive."

"He's retired."

"He's still been doing everything he can to help Bulk. If you tell him you're alive and get him the evidence, maybe you can help him understand it so he can testify."

Billy nodded. "Okay. I'll do it."

Kimberly hugged him. Then, she dialed his number. Twenty minutes later, Lieutenant Stone walked in the front door with Skull and Spike right behind him. "Okay, Kimberly," the Lieutenant said. "You said you had something to show us?"

"I do," Kimberly said. "I have to warn you, this is going to shock you all... Billy's alive."

Lieutenant Stone looked sympathetic. "Oh, Kimberly, honey... I know we all wish that were true, but the explosion-" he began.

"Didn't kill me," Billy said from the stairs. He walked closer. Skull screamed, which caused Spike to follow suit.

"Billy?" Lieutenant Stone asked in complete shock. He stared at him, clearly not comprehending how this was possible.

"Yes, Lieutenant Stone. It's really me," Billy replied.

"But... But Bulk said..." Skull mumbled.

"Bulk couldn't find me because the explosion was actually an implosion. A device I was studying with my son imploded and it sucked me in, but the force caused an outward reaction and that knocked Josh back and brought the house down. I was trapped inside when a very powerful and very evil woman took the device and fled the house, leaving Josh for dead... If Bulk hadn't risked his life to run inside and start digging, Josh would have been killed." Billy took a deep breath. He was shaking. Kimberly cautiously slid her hand into his, soothing him as well as she could. After a minute, Billy was calmer.

"Where were you for all this time?" Lieutenant Stone asked.

"I spent three years as her prisoner. I was rescued by... The White Ranger. I had some issues at first... Instructions drilled into my head to hurt everyone I cared about... Every person I'd ever loved was in danger, so I had to stay hidden. Kimberly got me through it. At first, I stayed with Jason, but Tommy insisted I stay here because he had custody of Josh. Being around my son helped me find myself, and Kimberly kept me grounded until I got full control of my mind." He paused. "I'm in the process of legally proving I'm alive, but it's not as easy as you'd think."

Apparently, Lieutenant Stone was over his shock. He pulled Billy into a hug. "It's damn good to see you, Billy," he said.

Billy looked surprised, but he hugged the Lieutenant back. Kimberly saw that Skull was chewing on his fingernail nervously. Spike mirrored the behavior. Only when Skull noticed this did he stop doing it.

"Billy was able to analyze the crime scene evidence," Kimberly said. "Bulk is innocent. A monster killed that poor little girl, and he found DNA to prove it."

"That's great!" Skull declared. He was so overcome with relief that he hugged Billy, too. Now, Billy looked truly stunned. Kimberly couldn't help but crack a smile.

"The problem is that, legally, I'm still dead," Billy said. "That means my testimony-"

"Would be inadmissible in court," Lieutenant Stone finished for him.

"But... But he found proof, Lieutenant!" Skull protested.

"Dead men can't testify in court, Skullovitch."

"But you can," Kimberly said. "If we can have Billy explain it to you..."

"They'd still require an expert to testify. I'm not one." He paused. "They might consider a delay, though... If I explain Billy's in the process of proving he is, in fact, very much alive, and that his testimony can provide real answers, they might delay the trial, and they'll certainly delay any plans to execute."

Skull paled. Kimberly realized he was shaking. "It'll be okay, Skull," she promised gently. "Bulk's not going to die for a crime he didn't commit."

Skull nodded, but he didn't speak. Kimberly took his arm and led him to the kitchen. She poured him a glass of water. He drank it in silence before asking, "Do you have anything stronger?"

Kimberly touched his hand gently to comfort him a bit. "If you really want it, yes, but should you be drinking with your son here?" She asked.

"No," Skull admitted. He flashed her a smile. "Actually, I'm nineteen years sober. I haven't had a drink since the day Spike was born." He shrugged. "I wanted to be a good father to him, not like my old man. He's a good kid. Too good for me."

Kimberly was surprised. "You had a drinking problem?" She asked.

"Oh yeah. I drank a little in high school, but Bulk sort of knocked that out of me... Told me I didn't want to be a fuck-up like my dad and when I drank, I got too much like him. Bulk caught me driving drunk one night and actually kicked my ass... I woke up hung-over, sore as all hell, and totally clueless as to how I ended up tucked under a blanket on his couch. My car was outside. My keys were not. He didn't give them back until I swore I'd never be that stupid again." He laughed sadly, which sounded very different from his usual laugh.

"Skull, I had no idea..."

"No one did... Except for Bulky. He took care of me when I was too dumb to do it myself. Anyway, I went off to college, and we weren't together anymore, and I started cracking under the pressure and drinking... It was a lot worse than it was in high school, probably because I could legally buy it myself... I gave myself alcohol poisoning at least twice. I have no idea how I graduated, but I did, and I went on to have my amazing career. The thing was, my coworkers were all drinkers, too, and there was a lot of socializing... I was really out of control... Not like my dad. I never hit my wife or anything... I hate guys who do that. I'd never put my hands on a woman... But I was pretty much a drunk moron twenty-four-seven. And then, my wife got pregnant, and I was still drinking a lot... But the moment I saw Spikey... The moment I looked into those eyes... I knew I had to stop. I had to get sober for him, because no one else would ever understand that kid like I would, and he needed me."

"That takes a lot of strength," Kimberly said.

"Spike is my strength. He's my world, Kimberly. All I have to do is look at him and any urge to drink goes away... Anyway, my wife left when Spike was a kid. She couldn't handle us, and she liked me more as a drunk moron than a sober one. It doesn't bother me, though. Spike and me are good on our own. We just need each other. But I'll tell you... Anytime things got hard, the first person I called was Bulk. He's my brother, Kimberly... That's why I can't fail him now."

"You won't. This will work, Skull."

"I never should have left him... I moved pretty far away. I ran, really... I had to get away from my father."

"Did he hurt you?" Her heart broke for him.

"All the time. If I moved at the wrong time, or if I was practicing the piano and my music made his hangover worse, or if I protected my mom... Anything could set him off, really. I guess that's why I was such a little asshole in school. Everything was so bad at home. I couldn't protect myself... But at school, I was the big man on campus. Okay, maybe not... That was Bulk... But Bulk let me be his sidekick, and that was the only time I felt normal... Happy... Safe. I know I picked on you guys, but I actually really liked you. When I heard about Kat and Casey... That really upset me. The same with Billy. And Bulk... Bulk still has nightmares about that day, but I didn't tell you that."

Kimberly nodded. "I think we all still have nightmares about that day," she said. Even now, with Billy sleeping beside her every night, Kimberly still occasionally had them. The only reason they didn't break her was because when she woke up, Billy was safely by her side.

"Kimberly... I just want to thank you."

"For what?"

"For being you. Never change, okay?" He kissed her cheek before saying, "We should get back to the others."

She nodded, and they headed back. Kimberly couldn't believe what she'd just learned. In all the years she'd known Skull, she'd never understood him as she did now. Sometimes she forgot that in life, nothing was black and white.

THE NEXT DAY.

KATIE

She was feeling sick again. As Katie opened the bathroom door, she heard the laughter again. She slammed the door shut, determined not to go inside. Instead, she ran out of her house as the laughter in her head got louder.

"Leave me alone!" She screamed. She suddenly wished she hadn't sent Jayden to discuss training with Dustin. Her father was out, too, helping Alpha with something. Kimberly was grocery shopping, Josh and Kenny were in school, and even Billy was out trying to help Lieutenant Stone prove Bulk wasn't a killer. She was alone, and suddenly, she didn't feel safe.

Katie, go back inside the house, she heard someone whisper. She knew it was Casey, somehow reaching out, but she couldn't move. The house is protected! Get inside!

By the time Katie could think clearly enough to try to listen to her aunt, she felt arms grab her. She reacted, trying to free herself, but this entity was more powerful than any she'd ever felt before.

"Let me go!" She shouted.

"Shhh, my dear girl... I shall not harm you. Please, relax," he said gently.

His voice was hypnotic and soothing. Katie found herself wanting to listen to him. As the world she knew faded away and she was pulled into another realm, Katie realized how much trouble she was in.

"Katie... You wonderful girl..." He said.

"Who are you?" Katie demanded.

"I am Zell, Great Wizard of Eltar... But you already knew that in your heart, my dear." He smiled. "I can read you."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want you by my side, Katie... I can nurture you in ways no one else can. You want that, don't you?"

Suddenly, Katie wasn't sure what she wanted. Her head was too fuzzy... Nothing made sense. "I... No. No... I need to go home."

"You will go home, Katie... You are mine, and I will bring you home... You only have to say yes."

"What?"

"Just say yes, Katie. One simple word, and you will be home."

Katie hesitated. He sounded so genuine... He would never lie to her. If she said yes, this would be over... She'd be home... But what was she saying yes to again?

"Katie... Say it. Say yes, and all will be as it should be."

Before she even registered she was doing it, Katie whispered, "Yes." Immediately after, her mind became completely fuzzy as she was led to her new home... Her home with her master.

SAGE

She knew something was very wrong. Sage closed her eyes and felt out for her cousin. Almost immediately, she knew Katie was in trouble. Trying to read the energy around her, Sage gasped.

"Zell..." She whispered. Then, she cursed. She knew she couldn't rescue Katie. Zell had bonded her to himself.

He tricked her, she realized. Somehow, Zell had managed to manipulate Katie into agreeing to this.

Sage knew there weren't many options. Zell was too powerful for most of the others. Caius couldn't take him alone. Zordon wasn't prepared to face his father yet. The younger generation of the Chosen were completely unprepared.

"You're insane," she told herself as one name popped into her head. She sighed. She really had no other choice, and her gut was telling her this was the only way to save Katie. "Damnit..." She mumbled. She cleared her mind and summoned the last person she should. "Zedd!" She said, putting as much power into his name as she could.

Zedd appeared before her. He stared at her in confusion, looking around like he expected the rest of the team to show up and attack him. When it was clear they were alone, he asked, "What the hell do you want?"

"Your help," Sage replied. It was hard to say that to him. Technically, Zedd had killed her mother, but she knew it hadn't been his fault. The Underworld God had made sure to sever her mother's tie to her body as soon as she'd left it. Zedd hadn't actually been intending to kill her.

Zedd paused. "Why would I help you?"

"Because we share a common enemy... Zell."

Zedd stiffened. "I'm not getting between you and him if you were foolish enough to piss him off."

"He has Katie, Zedd. He took her out of this realm."

"Good! One less Power Ranger!" His words said one thing, but his tone told Sage she had hit a nerve and he was listening.

"He tricked her, Zedd... Just like he tricked you."

Zedd froze in place. "He tricked her?" He repeated.

"Yes, into becoming bound to him. She agreed... I can't help her, but I think you can."

Zedd's energy betrayed his emotions, and Sage was startled to realize that he had them. He couldn't feel love or other things, but his remorse and grief were so strong, they nearly overwhelmed her.

Evil doesn't feel remorse, she thought. Somehow, something huge had changed inside of Zedd.

"I can break his bond to her," Zedd said after a minute. "As an incubus, I can bind her to me instead... But I can't just break it when I do. She'd have to stay bound to me for a bit."

"I understand. Just help her. Please."

"Aren't you concerned I'll use the bond to make her destroy you all?"

Sage looked at him and said, "No. I'm not."

"Because you doubt my power?"

"Because, right now, you feel sorry for her... You understand the way he tricks people. You won't hurt her, and taking advantage of your bond would do that."

He didn't reply. Instead, he said, "I will find her and bring her somewhere safe." He vanished before Sage could so much as thank him.

ZEDD

He found the White Ranger easily enough. She didn't look like a threat. Her eyes were blank as she followed Zell's orders, powerless to resist anymore. Zedd hadn't been this close to Zell in a long time, and he'd wanted to keep it that way, but he couldn't leave her there... Not with him.

Zedd waited for Zell to leave the room for a moment before revealing himself to Katie. She was about to alert Zell to his presence when Zedd grabbed her and kissed her. Katie didn't resist him. Instead, she instantly relaxed. He poured a massive amount of power into her as he drained Zell's energy from her. He fed on the bastard's energy, figuring it was a fitting punishment anyway, and waited for Zell to return.

Katie was shaking as Zell returned. "Zedd?" Zell demanded in confusion. "Impossible!"

"Clearly not, since I'm standing right here, you son of a bitch!" Zedd tried to directly drain Zell. He only managed to get a little of his energy before Zell laughed at him.

"She is my blood, Zedd! You cannot take her from me!" He said.

Zedd stared at him. "What do you mean?" He demanded.

"This is my granddaughter, you foolish boy."

It had been a long time since anyone had called Zedd a boy. He didn't appreciate it. "And she belongs to me now," Zedd replied. He grabbed Katie and vanished before Zell could stop them. He fled to one of the safe houses he'd set up for when he inevitably needed to get away from his wife, Merkhet, and the minions.

Katie stared at him adoringly as he placed her safely down on a bed. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

"Yes, Master," Katie replied.

Zedd cringed. "Zedd," he corrected her. "You do not need to address me as Master."

Katie tried to kiss him. He pulled back, forcing himself not to take advantage of her obedient state. "Don't you want me to?" She asked. She tried to climb into his lap.

You could do this, Zedd thought. Take her and make her your toy, like you did to Aisha. He felt something unfamiliar then... Shame at what he'd done. Xia would hate me for what I did to that girl, he thought. And to the children...

He forced the thought from his mind as he looked at Katie. He tricked her, he told himself. Zell has put her through more than enough. I will not harm her.

You're weak, his mind taunted him.

No, he thought. I'm just sick of his methods. I will not do what he would do, or handle this as my father would.

"Katie... Let's talk instead," Zedd suggested.

"Talk?" She asked in confusion.

"Yes, talk. Let me tell you a story."

She smiled at him. "Yes, Zedd," she said tonelessly, still sitting in his lap.

Zedd gently moved Katie out of his lap and into a chair beside him. He began talking, not really sure what he was going to say. It surprised him when the truth came out.

"Once upon a time, several centuries ago, there lived a boy who was destined to be evil. Born of the strongest incubus line to ever walk the Earth, his father ordered the boy to do many horrible things. One day, he sent the boy to a farm with orders to seduce a beautiful girl and turn her evil. The boy went to the farm, but as soon as he met her, he knew he could never harm her. Instead, he asked her to teach him how to ride a horse. The boy's father was furious. He threatened to punish the boy in the cruelest of fashions, so the boy agreed to return to the farm. He saw the girl again, and again, he could not harm her. He spent the day with her and decided being with her was worth any punishment he might face. When he returned to his father, he was nearly killed, but the boy didn't care. He loved this girl, and she would always be worth the price." He paused, nearly feeling something he couldn't quite identify.

Katie was watching him intensely as he spoke. He continued. "The boy barely escaped with his life. He fled to the beautiful girl and the farm. His face was burned and scarred from his father's cruel punishment. Even as an incubus, he could not heal his wounds." Zedd automatically touched his face. The scars were gone, taken away when the Zeo crystal burned off his flesh, but he could still feel them. Sometimes, when he looked in the mirror, he still saw them.

Katie reached toward his face. Zedd flinched before she touched him. He closed his eyes before continuing. "To his shock, the beautiful girl still loved him. When his glamour fell because he was too wounded to maintain it, she tried to heal him. She failed, but she helped heal something else... His heart. From that day on, he became the farm's stable boy. He cared for the horses, and he helped maintain the house. He even cooked for those who lived there. They were powerful warriors, looked after by a great and powerful wizard and his son. One day, the boy learned his new family was in danger. He took his horse and rode into battle to help them. From that day, he joined them in secret. The wizard would not have approved. For a time, everything was perfect. Then... It all changed."

His anger began to grow, and he wanted to stop telling the story, but Katie looked at him adoringly and asked, "What happened?"

Zedd sighed. He might as well finish it. "The boy was poisoned by his father. The wizard found out what he'd been doing. He was furious, but he saved the boy's life with the help of one of the others. The beautiful girl pled for the wizard to make the boy one of them, and he agreed... When they were alone, the wizard showed the boy a horrible vision. In it, he was killed quickly. The girl he loved was then brutally tortured... Beaten, violated, and ultimately, completely broken... And then murdered. If the boy became one of them, this would be her fate. If, however, the boy became evil, his beloved would survive and live a long, happy life. He could never be with her again, but she would be safe. Once more, the boy knew this girl was worth any price. He agreed. Only when it was too late did he realize the monster who would have killed her was the wizard. He had tricked him, but it was too late to reverse it... The boy was evil, and evil he would remain until the day he died. To ensure the boy could never be free, the wizard turned him immortal."

"What happened to him?" Katie asked softly.

"He could no longer love, but he was cursed to remember that he had once. He saw his former beloved and tried to warn her what the wizard had done. Then, he fled... The next day, he tried in vain to kill himself by touching the most powerful thing in all the worlds, the Zeo Crystal. It didn't kill him, but it burned away all of his flesh. Finally, he looked as evil as he was."

Katie's jaw dropped. "You were trying to kill yourself?" She asked in horror.

"I never said the boy was me."

"Zedd..." She shook her head. "I always wondered why you did something that stupid, but it makes sense if you were trying to end your life."

"I knew death would free me... And I could warn them. Caius could see the dead... I was evil, but I wanted to save them."

"You weren't fully evil."

"Not yet. It was still settling. A lot has changed since then."

"You're not fully evil now, either."

"That's the bond talking. The magic is clouding your judgement."

"If you were evil, you wouldn't have saved me."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Today, anyway."

"You'd still have slept with me. You had no reason not to."

"Did you consider that perhaps you're not my type?"

"That wouldn't have mattered. You'd have done it for the power." She touched his chest where his heart was. "You're not good, Zedd... But you're not as evil as you were, either."

He shook his head. "You won't be saying that when we slaughter all of you."

Katie looked sad. "Maybe it doesn't have to come to that," she said.

"You know that it does." He didn't want to admit that, right now, he didn't want to have to hurt Katie any more than she wanted to hurt him.

JAYDEN

He had been pretty upset when Sage told him his girlfriend was being "protected" by Lord Zedd of all people. Jayden understood that Katie had been in danger and Zedd had been her best hope, but he didn't have to like it.

"Ji, what am I supposed to do?" Jayden asked as he spoke to Ji on the phone.

"Katie is strong, Jayden," Ji reminded him. "She will be okay."

"But she's bound to Zedd, Ji! He could literally do anything to her right now!"

"You said Sage trusts him not to harm her, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"Do you trust Sage?"

"Of course I do."

"Then trust that Katie is safe. Sage would never endanger her cousin."

Jayden sighed. "You're right... But what am I supposed to do while Katie's with him?"

"What you do best, Jayden. Train. Protect her team."

"Dustin's doing a great job training them."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind a little help. It will be good for you, Jayden."

Jayden knew Ji was right. "Thanks, Ji," he said. "Give my sister my love?"

"Of course."

They hung up and Jayden forced himself to go find Dustin. If he was stuck waiting around while Katie was relying on her mortal enemy to protect her, the least Jayden could do was help her team.

MADDIE

She was in battle one minute, and not the next. Maddie looked around in confusion. "I was in the Megazord," she mumbled. She'd felt her Zord get ripped out of the formation. She knew the Megazord had fallen apart, and suddenly, she was somewhere else. She was determined to figure out what had happened when she heard it again. Crimson...

"Get your eyes checked," Maddie said. "It's Yellow."

"No, my dear... You're much more than that," the voice said. It took Maddie a minute to realize he was physically there and speaking aloud. "The blood of every single Chosen line runs through you."

"That's impossible."

"Your father descends directly from Morgana and Dimitri. Your mother is a descendant of the Campbell line. That's why she and Aisha are as connected as they are, they're distant cousins. She is also descended from Raven's brother, and from one of the many descendants of Quintus. Jason's mother descends from Zedd's uncle and Caius's sister."

"What? No, no, that doesn't make any sense..."

"I never saw it coming, my girl, but every single Chosen line finally came together in you. You are the Crimson Chosen, Maddie..." He touched her forehead and everything went black.

SAGE

It had been a long day. Sage knew it wasn't going to get any easier. They'd barely defeated the monster who'd attacked and grown to several times its original size when the Megazord had fallen apart and Maddie had vanished.

"We have to find her!" Jason said frantically.

"I need a little time, but I can go after her," Sage promised.

"No, Sage... It's too dangerous. You can't take Zell by yourself."

Sage stared at him. "Really? After everything I've done for you, you still doubt me? Jason, I'm stronger than you think."

"I know, but this isn't your fight... It's the Chosen's."

"And none of them are prepared yet. Besides, he made it my fight when he went after my team. He kidnapped Katie! I had to make a deal with the devil to save my cousin! And now, he's taken Maddie! No! I'm done!"

Jason shook his head. "It's too dangerous, Sage! I... I can't lose you, too. I can't take any more losses!"

Sage felt his panic. She automatically tried to soothe him, and as usual, Jason fought her. "Jason, let me help. Please."

"I'm fine..."

"You need to rest."

"I'm not sleeping until my daughter is home safe in her bed," Jason said stubbornly.

Sage could feel how badly he was draining her energy. She was hemorrhaging energy because of him and she could feel herself slowly fading away. If she didn't rest soon, she'd kill herself. "Fine! I'll have her home in an hour or two."

Before Jason could stop her, Sage went after Maddie with no plan, no energy, and no more patience.

It helped that Zell wasn't expecting her to show up. Sage was able to get her first attack in before he ever saw her coming. With every ounce of strength she had left, Sage attacked him repeatedly, draining as much of his energy as she could.

To say Zell was angry would be an understatement. He tried to fight back, but Sage grabbed Maddie and ran before he could. She dropped her slightly injured friend at the Command Center before trying to teleport home. She missed her mark and collapsed a few blocks away.

KODA

Instinct told Koda someone was in danger. He'd run all the way to Angel Grove, not really sure what he was there for. His team of Dino Charge Rangers was back home, and he rarely left them. As an actual caveman from the past, Koda didn't have the social or verbal skills to blend in on his own.

He stopped suddenly, sensing trouble. He looked around and spotted a girl who wasn't moving. Koda rushed to check on her and realized he recognized her.

"Sage..." He registered. Her uncle, Tommy, had helped his team a couple of times, and he'd brought Sage along once. Without hesitating, Koda picked her up in his arms and began to carry her home. He was a very good tracker and easily found her house.

Sage wasn't breathing right. Koda held her closer, willing her to stay with him. He might not know a lot about science, but he knew death when he felt it, and Sage was dying. "Stay..." He whispered. "Stay, Sage."

After a moment, Sage's breathing became normal again. She opened her eyes and stared at Koda in shock. "Koda?" She asked. "What's going on?"

"Sage not breathe. Koda help," he replied.

"I... Okay, but why?"

He was confused. "Sage Koda's friend. Koda helps friends."

Sage smiled at him. "Thank you... And you can put me down now."

"No. Sage hurt. Koda protect."

Sage pulled out some keys and Koda brought her closer to the door so she could unlock it. He carried her up to her room before finally putting her down on her bed. "Sage sleep," he said. "Koda watch... Keep safe."

Sage nodded. "Okay, but food first. I'm starving."

Koda's belly roared in response. He was hungry, too. Sage laughed. "What do you want to eat?" She asked.

"Koda likes burgers," he said eagerly.

"Okay. Go downstairs. I'll have my brother make us a couple of burgers."

The night was looking better. Not only had Koda saved Sage, but he was getting a burger out of it. He smiled, glad his instinct had led him to a friend in need... And food.

THE NEXT DAY.

JASON

He'd been relieved when Maddie called to tell him she was safe, but he was worried about Sage. When she finally called him, he wasn't expecting the fight that followed.

"I did it, in spite of your lack of faith in me," Sage snapped. "And now... Jason, I can't keep doing this. I'm literally killing myself trying to help you. My heart actually stopped last night when I got back!"

He felt like she'd kicked him. "Your heart?" He asked in horror. "Are you alright?"

"No thanks to you, yes. You're literally sucking away my life force because you ask for help but fight it, Jason. I'm in bad shape... And if Koda hadn't found me, I'd be dead."

"Who's Koda?"

"My friend the caveman. He's a Power Ranger from another team. He saved my life last night."

"Sage-"

"I need time away from you, Jason. Troy will keep helping the boys, and I'll do what I can for them, but I can't keep giving you all of my energy... It's going to kill me."

Inside, Jason was screaming. He'd been holding onto Sage like she was the last shred of light in his life. She was the only one who provided him with any relief from his crippling depression and grief. He loved that girl dearly, however, and he knew he had to let her go to save her before he got her killed, too.

"Okay," he managed to say. "If that's what you need." With that, he let her leave, and struggled not to completely shatter as his grief hit him all over again.

THE NEXT DAY.

OLLIE

He woke up feeling lost. He knew what day it was, but he didn't know how to feel about it. Every year, no matter what was going on at work, his mother made it home for their birthdays. Now, Ollie was fifteen, but she wouldn't be there when he left his bedroom.

He somehow opened the door anyway. Luke greeted him with a box. "Happy birthday, bro!" He said cheerfully. Ollie was surprised, but opened it. Inside was a pretty awesome baseball cap with his favorite team's logo on it.

"Thanks, Luke," he said, giving his brother a hug. "It's great." He put the hat in his room and followed Luke downstairs.

They found their father at the breakfast table. He looked like he hadn't slept again. Luke greeted him first. "Morning, Dad! So, what are we gonna do today?" He asked.

"Huh? Oh... Morning, Boys," their father replied.

"So... Plans?" Luke asked again.

"Um... Actually, I just asked Troy to take you guys out for the day."

"Dad, I thought we could spend today together," Ollie said cautiously.

"Not today, Ol, okay? I'm... I'm not feeling well," his father replied.

Ollie realized his father had no idea what day it was. "But Dad, it's-" Luke began to protest.

"Forget it," Ollie said, feeling extremely hurt. "It doesn't matter." Ollie walked out of the room fairly certain his father didn't even notice.

When Tamira texted him an enthusiastic message wishing him a happy birthday and asking if he wanted to hang out, he texted her back that he didn't feel up to celebrating. He got dressed and left with Troy and his brothers. He didn't tell anyone it was his birthday.

TROY

After a long day out with Jason's boys, Troy was ready to leave them at home. When Jason opened the door, however, everything changed.

Jason reeked of alcohol. He must have started drinking the moment they left, and he hadn't stopped. He was swaying and looked annoyed to have been interrupted. Ollie looked horrified. Troy suddenly flashed back on the drunk foster father who'd put him in a coma.

Genuinely afraid for the boys, Troy said, "Come with me, guys. We're going to see my Uncle David on the Reservation."

"Wait! You can't just take them," Jason protested.

"You're drunk, Jason. I'm not leaving them here with you." He guided them to the car.

Ollie hesitated. "How could he?" He whispered.

"Are you okay, Ollie?" Troy asked.

"Yeah. Let's just go."

Troy knew he wouldn't get anything else out of him, so he drove them to the Reservation instead. At least he knew they'd be safe there.

CAIUS

He was surprised when Sage showed up. "Caius... I don't mean to overstep, but you need to start leading," she said.

"What do you mean?" Caius asked.

"The Chosen need training. My team can't do it. We have our own battle to fight. You're meant to train them."

"I've been waiting for a sign... But I fear it is time." He sighed. "I'm sorry if they were a burden for you. I'm ready, and I think they are, too..."

"It's safe for you to be with Caleb," she reminded him gently, reading his thoughts.

"Yes," he said. "Thanks to you."

"Neither of you deserved what that creep of a deity did."

"Your actions are still very much appreciated." He smiled at her kindly. "I will gather the Chosen tomorrow and begin training them. The time has come."

"Thank you, Caius."

"There is no reason to thank me. This is my role now." He tried not to think about the fact that being the sole survivor of the original Chosen had pushed him into the role of mentor to the new generation. Even after all this time, he still missed the others terribly. Occasionally, he saw their spirits, but that only provided a small amount of comfort. He knew they'd inevitably vanish and he would be alone again.

"Caius? Are you okay?" Sage asked.

Caius shook off his thoughts and forced himself to come out of his memories. "Yes, Sage, I'm well," he replied.

She looked at him skeptically in a way which reminded him of how Rose always seemed to see into his very soul. "Are you sure?" She asked.

"I just have much on my mind," he said. "I will be fine." He meant that. Even though it hurt him terribly, Caius always forced himself to keep going. He really had no other choice.

At least you still have Zordon, he thought. And he's not stuck inside the energy tube. You can see him whenever you want. You can even touch him. You are not alone in this world... He paused. He wasn't alone, of course. He had his son, who he was about to finally be able to spend time with. That scared him more than anything. Giving Caleb up had been the hardest thing he'd ever had to do.

"I need to see Caleb before the others," Caius said. "We should speak privately... He doesn't know me. Our first real encounter shouldn't be in front of everyone else."

"He's usually with Thorn. You can come by tonight and see him," Sage suggested.

"Thank you. I think I will." He was nervous, but he knew this was the right move.

TAYLOR

He was walking Josh home when he sensed trouble. Instinctively, he pulled Josh behind him. Two seconds later, his grandfather appeared.

"Hello again, Boy," his grandfather greeted him.

"That's not my name," Taylor said. He was looking for any way to escape, but there weren't many options. He felt Josh tense up behind him.

"Come with me. We have business."

"Not happening."

"You will come with me, now, or I will make you."

Taylor rolled his eyes. "And how are you gonna do that?" He asked. He was stalling, desperately trying to find a way to get out of there with Josh safely.

Suddenly, his grandfather vanished and reappeared behind them. He grabbed Josh before Taylor could react. The monster pulled Josh against his body and began to touch him. Taylor felt sick. "Leave him alone!" He shouted.

Josh only panicked for a moment before the older incubus had him in a trance. "I can make him do anything I want, you know," his grandfather told him. "He's powerless against me."

"Don't touch him!" Taylor cried out. He dared to get closer to them.

"I can play with the boy and make him relive the worst of his traumas while I do... Or I can just make him walk in front of a car. I could instruct him to kill himself, and he'll do it."

"Stop it!" Taylor looked at Josh and said, "Josh... Josh, fight him. You can do it."

Josh hesitated for a moment before he began to struggle. Taylor's grandfather laughed. "Well done!" He said. "You are strong! To break my hold on someone is quite impressive. My boy, we can do wonderful things together. Fight at my side, where you belong."

"Never!" Taylor replied.

"What is it you fight for? Your sisters? They are weak. Your mother? She doesn't even love you!"

Taylor stiffened. That hit him too hard, and he hadn't expected it. His grandfather continued, sensing he'd hit a nerve. "Or is it for this boy? Well, I'll just have to get rid of the problem." He attacked Josh with his staff, hitting his head hard. Josh screamed in pain.

"Josh!" Taylor shouted.

His grandfather laughed and attacked Josh again. "Cooperate with me or I'll keep this up. I'll destroy him, physically, psychologically... However I must. The boy has so much trauma for me to play with... I can make him relive it all and then introduce him to even more as I make him my toy." He mumbled something and Josh began to whimper and fight off some invisible threat. Taylor knew he was having a flashback.

"What do you want from me?" Taylor demanded.

"Join me. Give me your loyalty, do as I say, and I will not harm the boy."

Taylor looked at Josh, defenseless against his grandfather, and he didn't even hesitate. "Okay," he said. "I'll do it, just don't hurt him."

"You must understand, this means I will torture you. You will take his place as my toy until I feel you are worth more than that. You will do whatever I say. You will suffer greatly until it makes you stronger. You will learn your place, and that place is as my slave until you become worthy of being my grandson."

"I don't care!" Taylor said as his grandfather remained dangerously close to a whimpering Josh. "I'll do it! Just leave Josh alone!"

"Are you certain you can handle the torture I'll inflict on you? The price for his safety is going to be very, very high."

Taylor felt tears forming in his eyes as he watched Josh suffer. He had to help him. He had to save him. "Yes! He's worth it, alright? He's worth any price!"

ZEDD

He'd left Katie resting, hidden by protection spells. Zedd had needed to take a walk and clear his head. The girl was having an odd effect on him. The last thing he'd expected was to sense his father. To make matters worse, he saw his son.

He knew he shouldn't interfere. He avoided his father at all costs, and Taylor was currently uninjured. It was clear the Blue Ranger wasn't in good shape, but so what? Zedd didn't care about a Power Ranger in danger. He wasn't going to do anything at all, but then he heard his son's words.

"Yes! He's worth it, alright? He's worth any price!" Taylor cried out.

The flashback hit Zedd so hard, it nearly knocked him down. Xia, he thought. His reasoning for nearly everything he did was that protecting Xia was worth the price. He'd said those exact words on numerous occasions. He'd also used it as his logic for willingly turning evil the day Zell tricked him.

Before he could talk himself out of it, Zedd came out of the bushes. "Step away from my son," he said firmly.

Taylor stared at him in confusion. His father looked startled at the sight of him. "Hello, Father," he said calmly.

"The boy is coming with me," his father said. "He has agreed."

"Well, he's a child without the consent of a parent. I'm nullifying your deal."

"I'll have your head, Boy!"

His father attacked him, but Zedd was stronger than he was. He had been for a long time now. When his father attacked Taylor, something Zedd hadn't expected happened.

The beautiful white horse who came running in to the rescue was one he knew. "Winnie?" Zedd asked in absolute shock. That was impossible! His beloved horse would have died centuries ago. He'd know her anywhere, however, and it was obvious this was, in fact, the same horse who'd been his dearest companion when he was a boy. How was she still alive? "Xia," he realized. "Of course she did."

Winifred was between his father and his son. She attacked with her hooves as his father cursed. "Wretched beast!" He cried. "I shall destroy you once and for all!" He aimed his staff at her.

Zedd immediately attacked his father. Taylor was injured now, and he hid behind Winifred as he tried to get his bearings. The boy looked terrified as he struggled to steady himself so he could, presumably, get to the Blue Ranger.

His father fought back and knocked Zedd to the ground. For a moment, Zedd was stunned. He was defenseless as his father came toward him again. Winifred jumped between them, letting out a loud and defiant cry. She knocked his father back several feet. The horse looked at him before bowing her head toward him and nudging him with her face.

Zedd pet Winifred. "Good girl, Winnie," he said softly. He had assumed the horse would hate him for turning evil, but it seemed Winifred still wanted to protect him.

"Winnie? That thing has a name?" Taylor demanded as he still struggled to move.

"This is Winifred. She was my horse when I was a boy," Zedd explained, still petting her. It brought him the smallest bit of comfort to connect to his horse again.

"She's been stalking me."

"Winnie's a good girl, and a fierce protector to those she's loyal to... It appears she likes you, Taylor." He looked at the horse. "Protect him. It is time I finish this."

Winifred moved toward Taylor, who backed away automatically. Zedd turned his attention back to his father, who'd begun moving again. He gathered up all of his strength and touched his father, draining away his life force. He stripped his immortality from him before driving his father's staff through his chest. It seemed poetic to use the weapon he'd so often tortured Zedd with on him.

His father died a bit too quickly for his liking. Zedd was filled with power from what he'd drained out of his father. He would be unstoppable now! He had to hold on to it...

He saw Taylor crawling toward Josh. Both boys were injured, and Taylor was weak. It was clear he hadn't fed his incubus side in a bit, and fighting Zedd's father had taken too much out of him. Zedd sighed. He knelt beside Taylor, who began trembling, powerless to even attempt to fight him.

"Go on," Taylor mumbled. "Kill me. I can't stop you."

Zedd shook his head. "Not today, my boy," he said gently. He touched Taylor and began giving him all of the energy he'd pulled from his father. Taylor began to heal immediately. He was radiating so much light by the end of it that it became difficult for Zedd to look at him.

Confused, Taylor turned his attention to the Blue Ranger. "Josh... Josh, it's okay," he said. "You're okay... Please... Please come back to me."

Josh began to stir. He curled up on Taylor, still pretty hysterical, as Taylor tried to soothe him. With the excessive amount of power he currently had, he was able to calm the boy fairly quickly.

Seeing his son's backpack on the ground, Zedd picked it up. He began collecting the items which had spilled from it. He paused when he saw several pieces of paper which had ripped out of some sort of folder. Zedd stared at the drawings. They were done in pen on lined paper, a fact that horrified him on a personal level, but the art was actually quite good.

"You draw..." Zedd said as he studied his son's art.

"Yeah... So?" Taylor asked.

Zedd shook his head. Taylor truly was exactly like he had been. "On lined paper with pen? That is simply offensive... An abomination! You need real art supplies, Taylor."

"Yeah, well, this is what I have. It's no big deal. I just doodle when I'm bored in class or when I..."

"When you have too much on your mind?" Zedd suggested.

Taylor looked at him with surprise. "Basically," he admitted.

Zedd noticed several of the drawings were of the Blue Ranger. He has feelings for him, he realized. Stronger than just the impulsive whims of a boy protecting his friend... He would have traded himself to my father for him. He's in love... As I once was...

He carefully placed the artwork back in the strange folder and zipped the bag up before handing it back to his son. "They're good, you know," he said. He turned to leave.

"What the hell is your deal?" Taylor demanded.

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you help me? That was your father, right? And you just killed him. Why?"

"I have wanted that bastard dead for a very long time. Tonight was as good a time as any."

"I don't get you... You're evil. You're supposed to hate me. You tortured me and my sisters and my mom... And now you're saving my life? What the hell?"

"Your justification of your choice to sacrifice yourself made me act. That is all you need to know. Excuse me. I have somewhere to be. Go get him somewhere safe."

"I know you know he's a Power Ranger... Why aren't you attacking him?"

"Because he is important to you, and you have both been through enough tonight."

Taylor looked even more confused as Zedd walked away. Zedd was pretty confused himself. You should have destroyed them, he thought. That is what you're supposed to do.

He shook his head and decided he was going on a trip in the morning. He would buy the boy some proper art supplies. He told himself it was purely because he was disgusted, as an artist, to see someone using lined paper and pens to create art, but deep down he knew there was more to it than that. Zedd could never love. He could never be light or good again... But seeing his son fight to defend the boy he loved, Zedd had gotten the tiniest piece of himself back, and he wanted to repay him for that.


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

LIZA

The storm brewing was mildly concerning. It wasn't the fact that thunder shook her enormous house or that there was enough lightning to make it look like her parents were putting on a light show, but the fact that this was all occurring inside of the house that unnerved Liza a bit.

Maybe if I turn around and go back to school, they won't realize I came home, she thought. Cheerleading practice had ended a little while ago, but there was a good chance Mrs. Peabody was still in the auditorium getting things ready for the drama club. She never minded it when Liza hung out and ran lines with her or just did her homework. She also never questioned why Liza so rarely wanted to go home after school.

"Liza! Come in here!" Her father said harshly.

Liza sighed. "So much for that," she mumbled. She walked into the house with her head held high and greeted her parents with a casual shrug. "Hello, Mother. Father."

"Give Consuela your school things and join us," her mother demanded.

Liza handed the head housekeeper her bag. Connie looked at her apologetically before taking it and walking away. The very well-paid domestic had worked for the Edwards family since before Liza was born. She was a kindly older woman who spoke just enough English to get by as a servant for the wealthiest family in Ridgeview. The Edwards prided themselves on being the only wealthy family of color in town. This bothered Liza, who knew damn well that the Liu family, who were Asian, and Gloria Ramon and her son, who were Hispanic, were technically also minorities who had acquired a great deal of wealth. Gloria's status as a single mother had somewhat tarnished her reputation, however, and the Lius were the whitest Asian people Liza had ever met, so maybe that was why no one counted them among the minorities.

"Give me your hand," her father said.

"May I ask what this is for?" Liza asked dryly.

"We have another merger. This will ensure it goes smoothly and we profit greatly," her mother said. Of course, Samantha wasn't really her mother, but she was expected to address her as that. Keeping up appearances was essential.

Of course it's for money and status... What else do they care about? Liza thought. She extended her hand toward her father, knowing she had no other choice. He took the ritual blade and cut her wrist, holding her wrist painfully tight over a chalice.

"With the blood of this Campbell, I summon the Granter of Wishes to bless our merger!" Her father declared.

Liza rolled her eyes. Most teenagers were expected to come home by a certain time for their safety. Her parents demanded she come home so they could use her blood and her magic in rituals. She was starting to feel a bit dizzy when a figure appeared. It took the chalice and drank her blood. Liza felt sick as it laughed and got drunk off of her magic.

This will end, a voice said as Liza struggled to stay conscious. A woman appeared, but it seemed only Liza could see her. Find me, Liza. Come to me. I will free you from this life.

The words were nice, but Liza felt threatened. She knew who the woman was... Her mother, Aisha Campbell. Her father had spent Liza's entire life bragging about the way he'd tortured and broken her mother before making her forget Liza had been born and escaping back into the time he'd come from. Aisha had been a terrified, innocent fourteen-year-old girl at the time. It was a couple of decades later, but thanks to the manipulation of time, Liza was only sixteen.

I'm hallucinating from blood loss, Liza thought. Her mother didn't know she existed. Her father was too powerful. His magic wouldn't have failed... Still, it was nice to think she might escape this life eventually. Her whole life had been about giving her parents power in their dark rituals. She was pretty damn sick of being used, and in spite of an exterior she admitted was quite bitchy, Liza was actually a good person. She behaved as she did mainly to push people away so they'd be safe from the evil world she'd been raised in.

"Liza! Focus!" Her father shouted.

Liza forced herself to pay attention to him as Aisha vanished. Something very odd was going on, but she'd have to figure it out later. She knew her father would only be rougher with her if she didn't do what he was demanding, and that never ended well.

AISHA

She was getting stronger every day. "That was excellent, Aisha," a voice said.

Aisha jumped. "You startled me!" She said.

"My apologies, my dear. Tell me, did she respond?"

"I don't think she believed I was really there."

"But she knew you?"

"Yes. She was engaging in dark magic, like you said she would be... She really is evil... But so powerful. It radiated."

"Liza is a very powerful sorceress even at such a young age. She is going to be a threat to you... And to all we are working toward."

"Why is she a bigger threat than the others?"

"Because she was never meant to happen, Aisha. I never saw her coming... And she is stronger than the others, and trained... She can hurt you, my dear... And she will."

"There's more you aren't telling me... I can tell. Why are you so afraid of her?"

"She has the potential to cause a ripple I cannot allow...She may give Zedd back something I took from him, and then he would be unstoppable... Together, they will destroy you, Aisha. I promised to protect you and help you protect yourself, but if those two come together, I will be unable to save you."

Aisha felt panic hitting her. Be strong, she told herself. He can't hurt you anymore... None of them can. You are strong. You are a Campbell... A powerful sorceress, even if you're just learning the magic now... Fear is weakness. Don't be scared.

"Aisha? Are you well?" He asked.

"Yes, Zell," she replied.

"Good. Let's continue with your lessons."

TAYLOR

He wasn't thrilled with forced group activities, but going to training seemed like a better option than going home and dealing with his mother's unpredictable mood swings. Taylor arrived at the location he'd been instructed to go to and saw two others already present. Tia nodded at him in acknowledgement. Ollie was leaning against a tree looking nervous. Taylor had been getting to know Ollie slowly because they were in a few of the same classes. He was the closest thing he had to a friend in his grade.

"Sup, Man?" Ollie asked him.

"So, this is Chosen Training, huh? What's that even mean?" Taylor asked.

"We must learn to follow our legacies," Tia said proudly. "I knew this day would come... Galaxia's story is honored in our family. Every descendant knows her story. She was the greatest sorceress of our family line."

"I just know she was crazy enough to have a thing for my father, which makes me question her decision making abilities. Oh, and apparently, she created me somehow. I'm iffy on the details."

"She kept that a secret, Taylor... It is not in her journals or her Book of Shadows... I am certain Caius will be able to clear that up for us."

Taylor shrugged. "I'm here. Whatever happens happens."

"Sage knows a lot about it," Ollie said. "She told me the family history, but even if she hadn't... Well, my great-great-terrible-grandfather made things pretty clear when he took over my father's body and held us all at gunpoint..."

Taylor automatically touched Ollie's arm. He knew what had happened to Ollie's mother and he felt bad for the kid. Ollie relaxed slightly as Taylor sent soothing energy toward him.

Angie and Maddie came toward them. "So, what are we doing here?" Maddie asked.

"Waiting," Taylor replied.

"Am I the only one who's nervous?" Angie asked. "The last time I let someone 'mentor me for my destiny,' she turned out to be an evil, lying, manipulative skank."

"Caius isn't evil. He's Zordon's friend," Maddie replied.

"It'll be fine," Taylor said. "If he fucks us over, I'll kick his ass. Immortal or not, Caius can still bleed."

"Um... Taylor?" Maddie said nervously.

"He's right behind me, isn't he?" Taylor asked.

"Indeed I am," Caius said gently. He smiled at Taylor kindly. "And indeed I can. Bleed, that is."

Caleb stood with Caius and Taylor realized how much he looked like his father. "Hey, guys," Caleb said awkwardly.

Zack came over with Tamira then. "Hello, Caius," he said.

"Zack. Tamira. Welcome," Caius greeted them.

"I hope you don't mind if I stay. I'm not comfortable leaving my daughter here alone... No offense, but I don't know you and I do know my daughter. She pushes herself, and I don't want her getting hurt. Tammy's the youngest one here."

"Dad," Tamira said with a roll of her eyes. "You're embarrassing me."

"That's my job and my right as your father," Zack said with a laugh.

"You're welcome to stay, Zack. I'd expect no less," Caius said.

"So, is this everyone?"

"Almost..."

Right on cue, an Asian boy Taylor vaguely recognized from school came running toward them. "Sorry I'm late! I'm new in town and I sort of got lost," he said with an impish grin. He looked at Tia. "Hi. I'm Brian." He laid the charm on thick.

"Yes, I am aware," Tia said with a shake of her head. "You told me that three times already in math class."

"And twice in history... You know, most girls would introduce themselves back at that point."

"Tia. There, we've met. Kindly move on."

Brian shrugged and stood beside Taylor. "She digs me," he said to him. "Or she will, anyway . Everyone likes me eventually. I'll win her over."

"Tia? Yeah, good luck with that," Taylor said with a laugh. His sister had little patience for goofballs, and it was clear that Brian was a professional goofball.

"Welcome, everyone. For those of you who do not know, I am Caius Grant," Caius said. "You are all here because you descend from the members of a group called the Chosen. Now, get comfortable, because I'm about to tell you all the story of the original Chosen... All of it. Maybe then you can begin to understand what's happening here."

Caius had a way with telling stories. He sucked all of them in almost immediately, even Zack. They listened in silence as he introduced each of the original Chosen to him. Several of them laughed at the visual of an angsty, rebellious teenaged Zordon. Maddie snorted when Caius told them Zordon had once had long hair and an earring. Taylor could almost see the Chosen as Caius told their story. He didn't expect to feel much of anything when Caius told them about his father, but he was suddenly overwhelmed.

"He was good? Like, genuinely good?" Taylor asked.

"Zedd was the purest of us all, Taylor. He was born to a powerful but entirely evil family. His father abused him... He tried to break him routinely. Then, Zedd met Xia, and he defied his father. He refused to hurt her, and his father punished him severely. He used his claw-like nails to slash Zedd's face open, straight to the muscle, and he poured acid in the wounds... Even as an incubus, Zedd was never able to heal the wounds."

"But... That's what he did to my sister!" Taylor shouted, rage hitting him all over again. Taylor was so close to Tye, he'd actually felt what their father had done to her.

"I know... I honestly believe Zedd may have flashed back on the trauma his father inflicted upon him when Tye did the same thing he'd done and automatically given her the same punishment his father gave him. Zedd was deeply traumatized by that attack. I'm not sure he ever got over that. I do not believe he would have done it in his right mind."

"Why not? He's evil."

"There is more to your father than you know... Zell made him what he is. He turned Rita, too. We didn't learn the truth until much later, after she killed Dimitri and Master Vile killed Morgana..." Caius hesitated, taking a moment to compose himself. His grief was still obvious. "Zell attacked Rita when she needed help. He tried to seduce her. He forced her to kiss him, and when she fought, he tried to rape her. She still fought and Zell shoved her into the fire that stole her light."

Angie stiffened. Taylor put his own issues aside and pulled her closer to him, worried she'd fly into a panic attack or even a flashback. She surprised him when she said, "That bastard did what to my mother?"

"Yes, Angie... He tried to do it to her, too. I'm sorry. I know this must be difficult for you to hear."

Angie began radiating purple spirals of magic. Everyone stared at her as her anger grew and she demanded, "So how do we destroy the son of a bitch?"

Caius smiled. "I knew you had that fire in you," he said. "For the Chosen, I'm afraid our strength comes from our trauma. I'm happy to see you're embracing yours. It took Morgana a lot longer. She did not have an easy path."

Caius finished the story. By the end of it, Tia and Ollie looked more determined than ever, Tamira looked like she was torn between crying and letting out a battle cry, Angie was sparking, but not out of control, Maddie looked excited, Brian was nervously nibbling on a candy bar, Caleb was trembling from what Taylor suspected was the energy of the spirits in the story, and Taylor was fighting the urge to scream. His father had been the strongest force of good in that group but he'd chosen to be evil... He'd let Zell turn him, and according to Caius, his motive had been to protect Xia, although they didn't have the details. He'd often said Galaxia was worth any price, the very words Taylor had found himself saying about Josh.

That's why he saved you, Taylor realized. He couldn't save himself. You're exactly like him. He even liked to draw... There's nothing original about you. You're just Zedd, two-point-oh. Maybe that's why your own mother hates you... Because she can see you're an exact clone of the monster who hurt her.

'"Taylor?" Caius called gently. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Taylor lied.

To his relief, Caius didn't push him. Instead, he began training them, and Taylor forced himself to focus.

MADDIE

It was hard to "train" when she had no idea what her powers were meant to be. Luckily, Caius took time to work directly with each of them. He told Ollie to pick up his sword. Ollie began to spar with him, and Caius looked impressed.

"You're a natural with that sword," Caius told him. "Dimitri would be proud. It's the magic side you'll need help with."

Angie didn't appear to need any help. Stronger now in her anger at the real story of how her parents had become evil, she fired off spells easily. Caius watched and nodded encouragingly. "You are very strong, Angie," he said. "And well-trained."

"Merkhet was a very thorough mentor. Evil or not, she taught me well," Angie replied.

Tamira tried to pick up a sword. "Hold on, Tammy," Zack said. "Swords aren't toys."

"Dad, I already know how my superpower works. If I sing, I create light... Now I need to learn to fight," Tamira said. "Zell already tried to kill me once, and that psycho Merkhet kidnapped me, and I was totally defenseless and I'm sick of it. I have to be able to defend myself. This is real. It's happening. I need to be ready the next time they come for me."

Maddie was impressed with the younger girl. Most kids would be terrified, but she was just determined to follow her destiny and kick some butt.

"You know how to fight. I taught you the basics," Zack argued.

"Look, Dad, Hip Hop Kido is fun, but it only does so much... I need to learn how to use weapons," Tamira said. "This is a battle. I need to be a warrior, not a little kid playing superhero."

Zack sighed. Then, he picked up a sword and handed another one to Tamira. "Come at me," he said.

"Seriously?" Tamira asked excitedly.

"Yes. Show me what you've got."

Tamira ran at Zack with her sword. Zack barely dodged the attack. He let her try again. She stopped just before hitting him with her blade. Caius observed them thoughtfully before saying, "When you're ready to allow it, I'd like to see her in action with Ollie. Dimitri and Raven complimented each other extremely well in battle, and her style is unpredictable and unorthodox just like Raven's, while it's clear Ollie has trained extensively with a sword, much like Dimitri."

"My father collects swords," Ollie said with a shrug. "Luke and I have both trained with them for years. Hell, even Vinny knows how to use a sword. .. He just chooses not to. Robby's not trained yet, but I'm sure he will be soon enough. Dad said every Scott man needs to know how to use a sword. It's a family tradition." Ollie seemed a bit bothered talking about their father. Maddie wondered what that was about.

"I'm trained, too, actually," Maddie admitted. "I've incorporated swords into some of my Martial Arts competitions."

"It's a useful skill to have," Caius said.

Caleb looked nervous as Caius handed him a sword. "I don't believe in violence," he said.

"Nor did I," Caius said gently, "but evil does not always leave us an option. I can train you, if you like... I'm still pretty fair with a sword."

Maddie suspected that was an understatement. Caius had certainly had a long time to learn how to perfect the use of a sword in battle.

"Um... Sure, I guess," Caleb said awkwardly. "Thank you... Caius."

Caius looked just as uncomfortable as Caleb sounded, and Maddie knew they must still be struggling to figure out exactly how they fit into each other's lives.

"So what do I do?" Maddie asked.

"We'll need to see what gifts you have inherited, Maddie," Caius said. "Your physical training has been extensive. It's the magical side I'm concerned about."

"You think I have magic?"

"I'm certain of it."

"Look out!" Brian shouted as he lost control of a fire ball he'd somehow created. It flew straight at Maddie. She put her hands out on reflex and caught the fire ball. Maddie let out a squeak of surprise as she realized it didn't hurt. She didn't burn.

"Holy... Wow," she mumbled.

"Nice!" Brian said. "How 'bout you toss it back? We can play catch!" He added cheerfully.

Maddie looked at Caius. He nodded. Maddie shrugged and tossed it back at Brian. He caught it easily, and they began tossing it back and forth as the others watched. Finally, Maddie lost her focus for a second and the fire hit the ground.

"I've got it," Brian said as Maddie began to panic that the whole forest would burn. He put the fire out easily.

"You need to teach me that one," Maddie said.

Brian smiled before creating another ball of fire. He controlled it as he walked Maddie through putting it out. It took her a few tries, but she finally got it to work. She let out a victory cheer and hugged him.

"Tia, show me what you know," Caius said, moving on.

Tia began to levitate. Then, she opened up a portal. She floated through it and vanished, reappearing across the room.

"Wow! That's some party trick!" Brian exclaimed.

"That was lovely, Tia. You have excellent control," Caius said.

"Thank you. I am also familiar with much of Galaxia's spellwork," Tia said.

"What about you, Taylor? What can you show me?" Caius asked.

"Nothing special," Taylor said with a shrug. "If anyone gets hurt, I can heal them. That's about it."

"Taylor, you're capable of more than that," Caius said.

"Yeah, I can steal your life force. Wanna see that party trick? Look, my abilities aren't the sort you want me using in public."

"He can fight," Caleb said. "I've seen it at Dustin's training sessions."

"I'm okay at it, I guess."

"You're good, Taylor. Especially with a sword. Don't be so modest." Caleb smiled his best encouraging smile at him. Maddie wasn't surprised. Despite their awkward history, that was the kind of guy Caleb was. If he saw someone putting themselves down, he'd try to make them feel better.

"Zedd was hard on himself, too," Caius said kindly. "Don't sell yourself short, Taylor. Without his contributions, we never would have survived as long as we did."

"Great. Even my emo angst isn't original," Taylor mumbled. "I'm not my father, okay? Would everyone please stop telling me how much I'm like him? I don't want to be anything like him."

"Taylor-" Tia said with obvious disapproval at his tone.

Caius put up a hand to quiet her. "It's alright, Tia. I want Taylor to express himself. I want all of you to be honest with me, no matter what. Taylor has a right to be upset. I apologize, Taylor. You are your own person."

"Apparently not," Taylor said. "I'm just a science experiment a sorceress cooked up because she was crazy enough to love my bastard of a father... So now I'm him, right? That's my purpose? To do what he failed to do? Fine. Don't worry, I won't be dumb enough to sell my soul. Can we move on now?"

Maddie noticed Taylor was trembling. He hid it well, but she could see how upset he actually was. There was obviously more to his emotions than he was admitting.

"I don't want you to be Zedd, Taylor. I want you to show me who you are," Caius said softly.

"I'm Taylor. I have inappropriate outbursts, rage, and tantrums because I'm fifteen but have only existed for a few months. Beyond that, I'm still trying to figure myself out. Sorry. I'll try harder."

Caius smiled. "You're doing fine, Taylor."

Suddenly, Maddie noticed shadows moving nearby. Instinctively, she reached toward one. "Maddie, don't!" Ollie shouted, but it was too late. Maddie shrieked as she fell into a dark realm. She looked around but only saw more shadows.

"What the heck?" She asked aloud.

Suddenly, Ollie appeared. "Are you stupid?" He asked her.

"That was rude," Maddie replied.

Ollie grabbed her hand and dragged her back out of the shadow realm. "Maddie, you know about my power to walk the shadow realms. You know it comes from Dimitri, and you know you may or may not have the powers of all the Chosen. Why would you touch a shadow?"

"I was curious!" Maddie said defensively. She didn't appreciate her younger brother lecturing her.

"She gets that from Rita," Caius said kindly. "Morgana was too traumatized to give in to curious whims, but her daughter did it frequently. It's alright, Maddie, but please be more careful in the future. The shadows can be a very dangerous place to explore."

"Did you just compare me to Rita Repulsa?" Maddie asked in horror.

"Before she was turned, Rita was extremely innocent and pure of heart. She was an exceptionally curious girl."

Maddie wasn't thrilled to have something in common with Rita. "Sorry," she said. "I'll be more careful."

"Alright, I think that's enough for today. We'll train again tomorrow."

Maddie nodded, determined to do better. She might be the unplanned freak of the group, but if she had superpowers, she was damn well going to learn how to use them the right way so she could help.

KATIE

She was doing a lot better. Her head was starting to clear. She wasn't trying to dry-hump Zedd anymore. Things were looking up. The only problem was that Katie was experiencing something she wasn't used to. For the first time in her life, Katie didn't trust her instincts. She was terrified of Zell, and even more terrified of losing control of her own mind again.

"What's wrong?" Zedd asked, reading her easily.

"I'm scared," she admitted. It seemed so wrong to admit her weakness to her mortal enemy, but right now, Zedd was actually the only person she knew she could trust not to hurt her.

"You're safe, Katie. He cannot find you here," Zedd reminded her.

"And when I leave?"

"You are strong. You'll be okay."

"He said... He said he was my grandfather, Zedd."

"Yes. And I believe him. You aren't easy to manipulate. Powerful or not, he had to have a blood tie to you to do it so easily."

"But he's been dead for several millennia! How could he be my grandfather?"

"He existed outside of time, like Zordon used to. The difference is that Zell chose to do that for power, while Zordon was cursed into that existence by Rita. Zell most likely traveled to the future."

"Dad's one of triplets... There's no way he's their father, unless Aunt Casey kept even more from us than I thought."

"No, I don't believe he's their father."

"Then..."

"Katherine. Think about it, Katie. Did anyone ever meet her parents?"

"They died right after she graduated from high school."

"When she conveniently no longer needed them. She was a legal adult. Tell me, how did she meet everyone?"

"She moved to Angel Grove from Australia. Then Rita put that spell on her to turn her evil, and she stole Kim's power coin and nearly made Kim kill herself because she was training by herself... She had no time to do it with supervision because Rita was keeping her busy with monster attacks and that bitch was messing with her, too. She only stopped when she flashed back on a diving competition where she got hurt and realized what she was doing to Kim was wrong, or so she claimed. Then she told the truth and gained everyone's trust and Kim left the team to pursue her dreams and had Zordon make my bitch of a mother the new Pink Ranger."

Zedd seemed to consider this. "Katherine was pure evil. We know that now... Rita didn't force her to turn the second time. Your mother chose that destiny, and we caught glimpses of how evil she truly was inside. Although she tried to play the innocent girl, there were many occasions when her behavior was, at best, questionable. The fact that Zordon was able to make her a Power Ranger means she was powerful, but the fact that she absorbed part of the Zeo Crystal, as they all did, is odd. If she was as pure evil as I suspect, it should have destroyed her... Trust me, the Zeo Crystal doesn't tolerate evil touching it. Unless Zell made sure that even Katherine had no idea who she truly was. If he cast a spell to make her energy read as good..." He shook his head. "It would take an enormous amount of power to fool everyone into believing she was a force of good, but... Well, Zell had the entire universe convinced he was the greatest force of good ever to exist, so it's definitely conceivable that his daughter could fool everyone, too."

"But her parents-"

"Were tulpas, Katie."

"What's a tulpa?"

"It's an illusion, brought to life by the power of belief. Groups of people believing in a ghost story can cause the ghost to take on a physical presence and actually exist in our world. If a massive number of people all believe the same story, they give it life... Or, if an individual with an especially powerful mind decides to create something, they can meditate and focus on it until it comes to life. They then have complete control of them. When Katherine no longer needed parents, they vanished."

"They have headstones."

"But did anyone see their bodies?"

"Dad said my mother refused a funeral... She took care of burying them alone."

"At eighteen. With no support. And no funeral. Are there death certificates?"

"I... Actually, no. I asked her once about that, for a project on family heritage. She claimed she lost them, but... I think she was lying."

"Because a tulpa would never have legally been born, so they couldn't legally die, either. Your mother wasn't born in Australia, Katie. She was born outside of the timeline, given false memories, innocent looks, and a pretty accent and sent here... To Rita, and to Zordon's Power Rangers. Zell left nothing to chance... He knew he'd need her."

"Why?"

"To combat Zordon... The son he couldn't turn evil. The boy he couldn't fully break, no matter how hard he tried... The one person who could ruin his plans to destroy the Chosen by destroying him himself."

"But she's dead."

"She is... But look at all the harm she did. She killed the second Red Ranger. More importantly, she killed Caleb... Who came back... And who... Oh, son of a bitch!"

Katie stared at him. Zedd almost sounded like a normal, pissed-off teenager. It was kind of amusing and it made him that much more human to her. He's not human, she reminded herself. He's a monster and you have to destroy him soon... The problem was that she didn't believe that anymore. There was so much more to Zedd than she'd expected.

"What is it?" She asked.

"The boy... Caleb. Is he Chosen?"

"Yes."

"Caius... He looks so much like him... And the boy had to die and come back, and now he has the same abilities as Caius."

"Caius is his father. Caleb's adopted."

"Zell knew Caleb would have to die to inherit his father's legacy... And he used the poor boy to come back, which he was only able to do because the Chosen were complete..." He muttered another curse. "I played right into the son of a bitch's hands... Again."

"What do you mean?"

"Even with Caleb's birth, the Chosen were not complete. I had children, but none who could be what I once was. There was... The abomination... And then, Angeline, but she was meant to inherit Morgana's destiny..."

"What abomination?"

"Thrax. He was Angeline's older brother. I tried to destroy him before he was born. That's why he looked as he did. The team of retired Rangers took care of him, though. He's dead. Good riddance. He was pure evil, disobedient, and a mistake."

"How very paternal of you."

"Ask your uncle or Kira about him and you'll understand. Anyway, he was far too dark and too weak to inherit what would have been my legacy. It would take something very specific to bring my line back to the light... I don't know how, but Xia... She kept the light I once had and ensured it could return to my line if it joined with hers."

"Aisha..." Katie realized.

"Tanner is as evil as I am... His birth didn't affect the Chosen. But-"

"Taylor."

"Taylor is so much like I was as a boy, it's unnerving. And with his birth, the Chosen were complete, and Zell began to find his way back... And once he found Caleb, he was able to use his power to resurrect himself."

"And Caleb only got his powers because of my mother."

"Exactly. Zell left nothing to chance."

"How could he possibly know it would work?"

"Existing outside of time made seeing the future especially easy for him."

Katie shuddered. "He's too strong, Zedd. How the hell do I fight something that strong?"

"With everything you have... And not alone."

"But not with you... Because we're on opposite sides."

"When it comes to him, we're on the same side... So, assuming we both survive our own battle, I will help you stand against him."

"Zedd... I don't want to have to fight you."

"Nor do I, Katie." He sighed. "Some things, however, are inevitable."

RITA

The search had been endless. Even though she'd sensed her energy, she couldn't find her. Rita was about to give up when she saw her. Although some time had passed, Scorpina was as beautiful as ever. She was cloaked with a glamour to make herself appear more human, but Rita would know her anywhere.

"Scorpina!" She cried in delight.

Scorpina looked up from the desk she sat at, startled. She saw Rita and immediately put down the telephone she had been on. "Empress!" She replied. She stood and wrapped her arms around her. "At last!"

"What is this place?" Rita asked in disgust.

"A lawyer's office. I was stranded here and wounded, so I needed to find a way to blend in as I recovered. I worked as a receptionist, answering phones, dealing with paperwork, filing, collating... It was torture!"

"You poor thing!" Rita shook her head. "Don't worry. You'll never need to do those horrible things again!"

A man came out. "Get back to work, Sabrina!" He shouted.

Scorpina looked at Rita and grinned before turning back to the man. She manifested a golden weapon and impaled him with it. "I quit," she said with a laugh as her former boss bled out slowly. She removed the weapon and he died as Scorpina linked her arm through Rita's and left with her.

SAGE

She still needed to let her body rest, but Sage's mind was another story. After Zedd gave her an update on Katie, she decided to do something else she shouldn't.

It was easy enough to project herself onto Onyx. It was even easier to spot him. "Master Vile." She said flatly.

He turned to stare at her. "Green Ranger," he replied coldly and with mild surprise.

"I have a proposition for you. I can free you from this place, but only if you agree to a magical contract. You will only be allowed to do what must be done to protect your daughter and her husband from Zell."

"Zell has returned? Yes, that would be what I sensed. Of course I will protect Rita."

"And Zedd. Also, if Zedd's son Tanner becomes an issue, you may stop him. Don't get any bright ideas, Vile. If you do anything except protect Rita and Zedd or keep Tanner in line, my magic will destroy you. Unless you are destined to interfere, you won't be able to without consequences. Those are my terms."

"Anything to leave this place. I accept... But why are you helping my daughter? "

"Rita is terrified of Zell, and while she is my enemy, she's also my friend's mother. I am protecting her for Angie. As far as Zedd, he did me a favor. I'm repaying that debt."

Vile seemed to accept that. Sage cast the spell and sent him directly to the safe haven Rita and Merkhet were staying in. She prayed she had done the right thing, but she knew no one would understand her choice.

GOLDAR

He was very confused when Master Vile appeared in the sanctuary. So was Merkhet, who looked mildly alarmed. "This is unexpected," she said, "but welcome, Master Vile."

"Pops!" Rito cried. He ran to his father.

"Rito, my boy! Excellent!" Master Vile declared.

At that moment, the door opened and Rita burst in. "Goldar, I have-" she began before she spotted her father. "Daddy!" She cried. Rita ran to her father and hugged him.

"Empress? You were saying?" Goldar asked after a minute.

"Oh! Right! I have excellent news," Rita said. She opened the door again and suddenly, it was like Goldar drew breath for the first time in two decades.

"Scorpina?" He asked softly.

"Yes, my dearest husband," Scorpina said. She ran into his arms. "I'm finally home."

He held her tight, breathing in her scent. He'd missed her so much he ached. She was as beautiful as he remembered, maybe even more so. He dipped her backward so he could kiss her.

"Oh, Goldar, I've missed you!" She cried as she broke the kiss to breathe. She immediately pulled him back into another kiss.

"Scorpina!" Squatt cried, killing the mood as he raced toward her. "You're here!"

"Sister," Babboo said awkwardly.

"You two have terrible timing," Scorpina informed them.

"Hello, my dear," Finster said. He kissed her hand. "It is good to see you have survived."

"Finster," she said kindly. "It's good to be back. So tell me... Where is Lord Zedd?"

Rita rolled her eyes. "He's with the White Ranger, protecting her for some bizarre reason. I've given up on trying to figure him out," she said.

"The White Ranger is a girl?"

"The daughter of Tommy and Katherine," Goldar explained. "She's quite a pain in the ass, actually."

Merkhet had apparently decided it was time to speak up. She said, "Hello, Scorpina. I am Merkhet. It is a pleasure to meet you. I've heard such wicked things."

Tanner came over then. He looked at Scorpina in a way that made Goldar furious. "Why, hello," he said. "I'm Tanner, son of Lord Zedd."

"But not me. Let's make that clear," Rita said. "I am not responsible for him."

Tanner got even closer to Scorpina. He reached toward her hand. "Keep your paws off my wife, you little ingrate!" Goldar snapped, putting himself between Scorpina and the incubus.

Scorpina laughed. "Oh, Goldar! Still so protective," she said. She kissed him and his anger melted away.

"Tonight, we celebrate!" Rita declared. "Our family is reunited!"

"What about Lord Zedd?" Squatt asked.

"What about him?" Rita snapped. "If he can't be bothered to be here, why should I care?"

No one argued. Goldar didn't mind celebrating. He had finally been reunited with the only entity he'd ever loved.

SAGE

She was checking on Troy when she sensed he was holding something back. "What's going on?" She asked.

"I took the boys away from Jason," Troy admitted. "I've been staying with them at Uncle David's house."

"Why?"

"He got really drunk, Mom. He was totally wasted when I brought them home. I didn't trust him... And today, Luke told me that the day he did that was Ollie's birthday. Jason completely forgot, and he sent Ollie away so he could get drunk. Ollie didn't tell anyone what day it was, but he's been really upset since."

"I can't believe him!" Sage was horrified. "Troy, bring Ollie to training. I'll call Dustin and have him do something special for the kid."

When she called Dustin, she told him she was sending Thorn with her debit card to cover doing something for Ollie. Dustin was more than happy to help, and Sage hoped Ollie would realize that he still had people who cared about him.

OLLIE

The last thing he expected when he arrived at training was for everyone to jump out and yell, "Surprise!"

Ollie stared at them. "Happy belated, Kiddo," Dustin said cheerfully. He unveiled a cake. Kira presented him with a table full of gifts, and Maddie hung a final decoration as she smiled at him.

Ollie was stunned into silence. He nearly started to cry, but Tamira wrapped him in a hug and he could feel her light soothing him. He finally managed to say, "Thanks, guys... I... I'm not sure what to say."

"Happy birthday, Kid," Kira said, patting him on the back. "Eat up. Dustin went crazy on munchies today."

His mother was dead. His father might as well be... He was drinking and walking around like a ghost, and he'd forgotten his birthday... But for just this one moment, Ollie knew he wasn't alone in the world.

THREE DAYS LATER.

KATIE

It was time to go, but Katie was nervous. "You're ready," Zedd promised her. "Don't worry."

She hesitated. "You're sure the bond is broken?" She asked.

"I severed the last of it this morning. You are in full control of yourself."

"Thank you, Zedd... Really." She paused before giving him a quick hug.

Zedd stared at her. "A hug? Really?"

"Just this once. You saved me." She sighed. "I wish I could save you."

"No one can, Katie. I made my choice long ago, and I stand by it."

"Even after all this time?"

"Her happiness and safety were well worth the price I paid."

"You aren't fully evil, Zedd."

"Perhaps not, but I cannot be saved, Katie. Only death can free me and I am immortal. I can never be good again, so stop hoping for it. At the end of the day, I love only power, and I will do anything I can to get more of it. When we meet again, we will not be allies."

"I know. I just hate it."

"Take care of yourself, Katie." With that, he pushed her through a portal.

Katie landed safely in the Command Center. "You, too, Zedd," she whispered.

"Aye-yi-yi! Katie! You're back!" Alpha declared.

"I am," Katie said.

Zordon looked relieved to see her. "Welcome back, Katie," he said.

"Thanks... Zordon, can we talk?"

"Of course." He led her to a more private area.

"I'm your niece," she blurted out.

Zordon froze. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"Your father had another kid... He hid her in the future to ensure his plans would come to light... And to ensure Caleb died so he could come back."

"Katherine?" Zordon asked. "You're saying that-"

"My mom was your little sister. Yes, that's what I'm saying."

Zordon visibly paled. His skin was nearly white. Katie thought he might collapse, but he composed himself. "I should have anticipated this. His contingency plans had contingency plans. He never left anything up to chance." He shook his head.

"Do you think this is why I can do things I shouldn't be able to? Like use the samuraizers? Or manipulate the morphing grid? Or travel to Corinth to retrieve and befriend an untamable Zord?"

"I do... It makes sense." He paused thoughtfully. "It may also be the reason why I am especially attached to you."

"So... I'm part alien," Katie realized.

"You have the blood of Eltar in you, yes."

"But I'm not blue, and neither was my mother."

"You look like your father. As for Katherine... He may have manipulated her appearance so she would blend in here."

"Zordon... Are you disappointed in me for letting him into my head?" She was terrified of his answer, but she had to know.

"Oh, Katie..." He shook his head. Then he surprised her by pulling her into a tight hug. Zordon wasn't generally much of a hugger. "No, I'm not. He raised me, Katie. I know exactly what he's capable of. I know how he manipulates people, and I know how he makes you want to believe him. He excels at it. He did it to me for much of my youth."

"Is it weakness that I'm terrified of him?"

"No. It's practical. He is a monster, Katie, and he's unlike any you have faced before."

"How do I fight him?"

"With help. I will protect you from my father with everything I possess, Katie. You have my word."

Katie nodded, but she couldn't help but wonder who would protect Zordon.

TAYLOR

He walked into the kitchen to find his mother helping Tanya prepare Thanksgiving dinner for the next day. Taylor had been learning to cook from both Josh and Tanya, and he was pretty good at it. When Tanya stepped out, he approached his mother.

"Can I help?" He asked.

His mother spun around so fast, he jumped back. She grabbed a very sharp knife off of the counter. Taylor stared at her, both hurt that she'd pulled a knife on him and terrified. "Mom-" he began.

She was dangerously close to stabbing him. "Mama! What are you doing?" Tia demanded.

"Mama, no!" Imani shouted as she started to cry. Tia stepped between Taylor and their mother protectively.

"He scared me," his mother said, but she was too calm. Tia looked at her suspiciously as she put the knife down. She turned to Taylor.

"Are you alright?" Tia asked.

"I'm fine," Taylor lied.

Imani ran to Tia for comfort, sobbing against her, obviously terrified at what she'd just witnessed. Taylor took that opportunity to run upstairs to his room. He closed his door and sat on his bed trembling.

"She hates me..." He whispered. "She'll never love me."

Because you're evil, he thought. Bleed out the evil, Taylor. Bleed out your father's blood.

On some level, he knew the thought wasn't his, but it wouldn't go away. Finally, he picked up the knife he'd stolen to protect himself while he was living on the streets. "Bleed out the evil... Then maybe she can love you," he whispered. He started crying as his emotions overwhelmed him. Then, he began to make several cuts on his arm. Somehow, it made him feel better, or maybe it just made him stop feeling all together... He wasn't sure anymore.

He tried to heal himself, but it didn't work. Apparently, he couldn't just heal injuries that were self-inflicted. He settled for covering them with a glamour before he left for a training session with Caius.

Taylor was the first to arrive. When everyone else showed up, he stayed on autopilot, going through the motions. When Caius finally let everyone leave, he stopped him.

"Taylor... What happened today?" Caius asked.

"Nothing," Taylor said quickly.

"Let's agree that neither of us will lie to the other. Please, Taylor... Tell me."

Taylor sighed. "My mom kind of freaked out."

"And you hurt yourself."

"Wait... How can you see that?"

"You aren't the first incubus I've known, Taylor. I can spot a glamour from a mile away."

"I... I didn't mean to," he blurted out. "But she pulled a knife on me, Caius... I scared her and she grabbed the knife, and I'm pretty sure if Tia and Mani hadn't walked in, she would have... I mean..."

"She would have hurt you."

"It's not her fault. I startled her. She wasn't thinking straight."

"Taylor... Drop the glamour. Let me see how bad it is."

Taylor knew it was pointless to hide his injuries anymore. He dropped his glamour. Caius gently took his arm and examined the wounds. "These are a little on the deep side," he said with concern. He pulled out a jar with an unidentified substance in it. "This will disinfect the wounds and help you heal faster." He began rubbing the concoction on Taylor's wounds.

"What is it?" Taylor asked.

"Something I learned from the Mystics. It works extremely well and it's entirely natural."

When he'd finished caring for the injuries, Taylor said, "Thanks... I need to get home before Mom flips out. "

"Taylor, you are not going home tonight."

"What?"

"You're coming home with me. You can stay in my room. I usually sleep on the couch anyway, on the rare occasion I do need rest."

"But-"

"Your mother is a threat to you right now, and I'm not sending you back into an environment that makes you want to hurt yourself."

"I just kept thinking I needed to bleed out the evil in me... I don't know... It was like, 'maybe she can finally love me if I'm not evil anymore.' I'm sorry. I know it was dumb."

"Taylor, you are not evil. I promise you that. And it wasn't dumb, but I don't want you to do it again, okay?"

"Then why?"

"Why what?"

"Why does she hate me?" He whispered. It surprised Taylor when he started crying. "Everything I've done was about protecting her! Every horrible thing! And she still hates me. She literally can't love me, and she never will, and... And it hurts!"

Caius quickly pulled Taylor into his arms. The hug was so paternal that Taylor almost started to cry harder. His father could never love him and he understood that. Evil couldn't love... But his mother was one of the good guys, and she hated him, too. He desperately needed one parent who cared about him, and Caius had just shown him more kindness than either of them ever had.

"None of this is your fault, Taylor," Caius promised him. "And you will be safe tonight. I'll even prepare a Thanksgiving meal for us tomorrow...I knew I needed the ingredients, I just didn't know why." Caius looked a bit sad and Taylor could feel his emotions on him. It was clear Caius had spent every holiday since he'd lost Caleb's mother alone.

Taylor didn't know what to say to him. Instead of speaking, he dropped his guard a bit and clung to Caius tighter until he felt better. Caius patiently held him, and when he finally let go, he didn't bring up his meltdown. Taylor appreciated that.

He sent a text to Tia. I'm staying with Caius tonight. Apologize to Tanya and Mom for me missing Thanksgiving.

Be safe, Tia replied, not even questioning him. He took a deep breath and said, "Okay... Let's go."

THREE DAYS LATER.

LIZA

She hadn't expected what came next. Liza was mid-ritual when she felt herself being pulled out of her home. She landed on her feet, barely, and saw a girl looking back at her. "Who are you?" Liza asked.

"My name is Sage," the girl said.

Liza's energy was a mess. She nearly collapsed. "Liza," she managed. "I have to go back."

"They were hurting you... I sensed it."

"My energy is unstable. I have to go back."

"I can help... Liza, who are you, really?"

"You want my credentials? I'm Liza Edwards, descendant of the Edwards Warlocks and the Campbell Sorcery line. Now send me back, before my father literally kills me."

"Campbell... My God. Are you Aisha's?"

"So my father tells me. I've never met her."

"Okay... You're safe here, Liza. I can stabilize your energy... But you can't go to your mother. She's having issues. You can stay with my family until it's safe."

Before Sage could say more, Liza blacked out.

ZEDD

He didn't appreciate being summoned again. "You know, Green Ranger, I am not your errand boy," he snapped.

"I need your help, and I think you'll want to," Sage replied.

"We are enemies, Sage."

"It's not for me. It's for her." She motioned toward an unconscious girl.

Zedd felt his breath catch. He stared at the girl in shock. He couldn't remember how to speak.

"She's Galaxia's descendant, Zedd... And her monster father and step-mother have tortured her in every way you can imagine," Sage said.

There was no denying she was related to Xia. She looked exactly like her. Zedd felt rage at the idea that she'd been hurt. "Then they will pay for it," he said.

"I thought you might say that. Take Rita. Galaxia saved her life once. I think she'll want to help, and it will be a good outlet for her."

"Why on earth would you trust us to do as you wish?"

"Because it's not about me. It's about someone who mattered to you both. I can heal her or go destroy her parents... I think I need to stay here. So go. I know you can track them, and I'll get Liza conscious and take care of her."

Zedd wasn't sure why Sage was involving him, but he did know that seeing a girl who looked and even felt so much like Xia in bad shape infuriated him. He had to make them suffer for harming her.

"They will not survive. You know that. You're allowing me to kill two people."

"Two monsters. And the way I see it, monsters killing other monsters is totally acceptable."

He nodded, then left, eager to get away from this child who reminded him too much of his lost love.

Rita saw him and scowled. "Where were you now?" She demanded.

"I am about to go destroy two humans. Would you like to join me?" Zedd asked casually.

Rita's face lit up. "Destroy humans? How romantic! Oh, Zeddy, you know just how to cheer a girl up!" She took his arm, and off they went.

THE NEXT DAY.

TAYLOR

He was back home, mostly because he didn't want Caius to get arrested for kidnapping him. His time with Caius had been the only time in Taylor's entire life that he genuinely felt safe. It had been a nice break, and when he had returned home, his mother had seemed much calmer.

Now, Taylor was in his room. He started drawing. He settled for drawing Josh again, because that always calmed him down. Then, he found himself drawing Caius, sitting on the couch reading a book. The art soothed him. He was pretty calm when someone knocked on his door. Considering he knew Tanya had taken the rest of the kids out, he wasn't sure who might be there. He opened the door cautiously.

"Mom?" He asked as he saw her.

She smiled at him and he let her inside. That was when she revealed the knife she'd hidden behind her. "Mom... What's going on?" He asked cautiously.

"Shhh... Everything will be fine," his mother said. She came closer, raising the knife, and Taylor panicked.

"Mom, don't... Please."

"You're an abomination, Taylor. You have to be destroyed!"

His chest hurt. "Mom... Please, Mom, don't hurt me... I love you."

She came closer and Taylor felt a sharp pain as she stabbed him. "Mom..." He gasped out as terror consumed him. "Mommy, please..."

She stabbed him again, and again he cried out, "Please, Mom..." It hurt more than he expected. He felt like his insides were on fire. She stabbed him again, but he couldn't bring himself to fight back. He couldn't hurt her, even now.

"Please don't... Please, Mommy..." He whispered.

That was when he felt a powerful energy enter the room. "Get away from him!" Tia shouted.

"Stay out of this, Tia!" Their mother screamed.

"No! Leave him alone, Mama! I don't want to hurt you, but I will."

Their mother turned toward her. "No you won't," she said. She raised the knife again.

"Mama, no! Don't make me do this! Please!" Tia begged.

"You're not the only Campbell Sorceress in this room, Tia!" Their mother sent a spell at Tia, and Taylor was too stunned to process what he was seeing as pain began to consume him.

TIA

She knew she had no choice. Her mother was too out of control, and if Tia didn't step in, she'd kill her little brother. Taylor was innocent. Her mother, it seemed, had given in to evil.

As she got hit with the spell, Tia knew she was doing the right thing. Her mother was too powerful. Someone had trained her, and she'd turned against everything the Campbells stood for. She had embraced evil, which Galaxia had sworn no Campbell would ever do again. Tia couldn't let her undo everything Galaxia had fought for.

They exchanged spells for a bit. Tia was hurt badly, but she kept fighting, using everything she knew. Finally, when Tia was certain she was nearly dead, she managed to send out one final spell. "Light will always be stronger than darkness," she said as she cast it.

Her mother let out a scream and fell to the floor. Her eyes were open, but it was clear she was dead... Tia had killed her mother, just as Galaxia herself had once done, but unlike her ancestor, it broke everything in her.

"I'm sorry, Mama," she whispered. She crawled to her and closed her eyes. "You left me no choice..." She crawled toward Taylor.

Her brother was sobbing hysterically and struggling to breathe as he continued to lose blood. Tia tried to heal him. Some of the bleeding stopped, but she knew his internal injuries were serious and she was too hurt to fix them.

Taylor looked up at her and continued to cry. Tia sat beside him, gently pulling him closer until his head rested in her lap. She stroked his hair as they both cried, wishing she knew how to comfort him. "It's okay... It is over, Taylor... You are safe," she promised him.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. He began chanting it over and over again, like a mantra. Tia continued to stroke his hair, trying to soothe him and focus her own mind enough that she could do whatever she must do next.

Her cell phone rang, and Tia pulled it out automatically and answered it. "Tia?" Sage asked when Tia said nothing. "Tia, are you there? What's wrong? I can feel that something happened."

"My mother is dead. I... I murdered her. I had to. My brother is hurt... I am hurt... I tried to heal him, but he... He's still injured..." She said numbly.

Sage took a deep breath. "Tia, I need you to portal to my house. Can you do that?"

Tia wasn't sure how much strength she had left, but she decided it was worth a try. "Yes, I believe so," she replied.

"Do it. I'll take care of you both."

Tia closed her eyes and opened the portal. "Taylor... Come with me," she said. "We have to go."

He didn't protest, but he didn't respond, either. Tia gently took his hand and helped him stand up as she walked through the portal. They were in front of the Park house moments later.

"Oh God..." Sage said at the sight of them. "Tia, can you walk on your own?"

"Yes," Tia said.

"Get inside. I've got Taylor." Sage helped support him as they walked toward the house. Taylor was trembling violently. "It's okay, Taylor. I won't hurt you," she promised.

"I'm sorry..." Taylor whispered. He began repeating it again.

They made it upstairs to Sage's room. Sage began healing Tia, and she felt significantly better. "Thank you," she said.

"Of course," Sage replied.

"Taylor... I tried to heal him, but I failed... Something is wrong. The weapon... It was magical, Sage. I believe it was meant to kill an incubus."

"I'm going to summon Galaxia. I think she can heal him."

Tia felt it when Galaxia joined them, but Taylor still wouldn't heal. Instead, he crawled into a corner and kept his back to the wall as he cried and trembled.

"I'm calling Josh," Sage said. "If anyone can calm him down, it may be him." She left to do that.

Tia wrapped her arms around Taylor. "I'm sorry," he said again.

"You have nothing to apologize for," Tia promised him.

"I'm sorry..."

Tia sighed, her heart breaking. She hoped Taylor's friendship with Josh would be enough to help him.

JOSH

He arrived at Sage and Thorn's house in seconds, deciding this was worth teleporting. He raced upstairs and found Taylor curled up on Tia, hysterical.

Tia moved aside to let Josh get closer to Taylor. "Taylor... I'm here," he said. "Talk to me. Please."

At first, Taylor didn't respond. Josh gently tilted Taylor's head so he was looking into his eyes. "Taylor, please, talk to me."

"Josh..." Taylor croaked out.

"I'm here. I'm not going anywhere."

"She's gone, Josh..." He whispered.

"I know... I know, and I'm so sorry, Taylor... I know how hard it is to lose your mother."

"She's gone... It was all for nothing..."

"What?"

"Everything I did... Hurting Thorn, hurting Caleb... Hurting you... Letting my father hurt me so he wouldn't hurt her... Getting between her and Tanner, knowing what he'd do to me... All of it... Just to protect her... But now she's gone, and it was all for nothing... She hated me... She hated me, and she tried to... To kill me... And she... She's gone, and all I want is to bring her back, even though she stabbed me! She stabbed me... Over and over and over..." He began shaking harder, sobbing hysterically, unable to breathe.

"Taylor... Oh God, Taylor, I'm so sorry..." Josh whispered. He held him tighter, desperate to comfort him. He hated to see Taylor in pain, and the weight of his grief was too much. This was the one thing that had finally broken him.

"It's not fair..." Taylor whispered.

"No, it's not."

"And it's all my fault... If I'd been better... If I hadn't been evil..."

"Taylor, you are not evil!"

"If I hadn't been born, she'd still be here!"

"Taylor, you don't know that."

"Tia had to kill her to save me! And I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I just... I'm sorry..." He was crying even worse now.

"I'm here," Josh said again. "You're not alone."

As Taylor clung to him, he pressed his face against Josh's cheek. "I love you..." He whispered.

Josh stiffened. Had he heard him right? Had Taylor really just said that to him? He had no idea how to react or feel.

"It's okay," Taylor added quickly. "I don't expect you to say it back. I know you don't feel that way about me, but-"

"I care about you, Taylor," Josh said. "A lot. I just... I don't know if-"

"It's okay. I get it... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it, but I had to get it out... I had to tell you... Because I know you care about me, and she... She couldn't, and... And you should know, Josh. You should know. But I don't want to freak you out..."

"It's okay, Taylor," Josh promised. Did he love Taylor? He wasn't sure. Love was something Josh didn't easily feel. He loved his father. He had loved his mom. He loved Kenny and Katie and the others... But did he love Taylor? Could he love Taylor? That was a huge step... He wasn't ready. The only thing he knew was he cared about Taylor deeply and he didn't want him to be in pain. "I'm not mad or freaked out... Just... Surprised."

"Yeah... Me, too. I didn't plan on saying that. It just sort of slipped out."

"We're okay. I promise."

Taylor nodded. "Okay."

"Taylor... You need to let Galaxia help you."

"It's her fault..." He mumbled.

"What do you mean?"

"It's her fault I was born, Josh. It's her fault I exist, because of the spell she did... She made it so my father's light could only come back into his line when it crossed with her... And he was evil but her line was good, so really, how did she think that would happen? Because she didn't stop to think about it, her spell made sure my mom had to be raped for me to be born! My father put her through hell! It changed her... She was good, right? She was a Power Ranger! But he raped her, and he tortured her, and she lost her mind... And she blamed me, and you know what? She was right! She had to go through that just so I could exist! It's my fault!" Taylor became hysterical again.

"It's not," Josh said. "It's not your fault. It's not even Galaxia's fault. She couldn't have known... And you didn't ask to be born. Your dad chose to attack your mom, and your mom... Your mom chose to turn evil. A lot of people go through terrible things... I would know... And most of them don't choose to turn evil. That isn't your fault, Taylor. So please, let Galaxia help you... I can't lose you, Taylor. I'm not attached to many people, but I'm attached to you... So you can't die, okay?" His voice cracked slightly with emotion.

Taylor looked into his eyes. It seemed to register just how much Josh cared about him then. "Okay," he agreed. "Okay, she can fix me... But will you stay with me?"

"Nothing could possibly make me leave you," Josh promised.

Finally, Taylor stopped fighting, and he began to heal. Josh stayed by his side, determined to help him through this.

SAGE

She was walking when she saw Zedd. "What happened?" He demanded.

"Excuse me?" Sage asked.

"Something's wrong with Taylor. I can sense it. What happened?"

She was surprised he cared, but not entirely. "Aisha is dead," she said flatly. "Tia had to kill her."

"Tia... Her daughter."

"Yes."

"The likely new Chosen Yellow."

"She is, yes."

"Xia murdered her mother, too... But they weren't close."

"Tia's taking it hard, but she's the strongest person I've ever met. She'll get through this."

"Why did she do it?"

"Aisha tried to kill Taylor... She stabbed him repeatedly."

Zedd stiffened. "He survived?"

"He did. He's at my house, finally healing... The weapon was some sort of incubus killer."

"How is he? Emotionally?"

Sage stared at him. Was it possible Zedd genuinely cared about Taylor's well-being? "Not good," she admitted. "He blames himself. He's broken. I've never seen him like this."

"Is he still at your house?"

"Yes... Why?"

Zedd snapped his fingers. "I just sent something to your home... Please see that he gets it."

"What is it?" Sage asked suspiciously.

"Nothing bad... A sketchbook and pencils."

"Wait... What?"

"I recently learned that the boy likes to draw... On lined paper with ink... I was horrified, of course. That's sacrilege. I went out and purchased these for him in the hopes that he will stop wasting his talent on lined paper. Anyway, with what just happened... He needs them, Sage. It may bring him the slightest bit of comfort, and I want to do that for him."

She stared at him. "That... That's actually extremely kind of you, Zedd," she said in shock. For a while, she'd felt in her gut that Zedd was changing. She realized now that it wasn't in her imagination. She sent Thorn a text to get the package to Taylor before she turned back to him. "I think I can help you, Zedd."

"Help me with what?" He asked.

"I think I can restore you to who you used to be."

Zedd stiffened. "That is impossible, Sage."

"What if it's not? You're changing, Zedd. You have been for a while, maybe since the day Taylor was born."

"What was done to me cannot be undone. I chose it, and it's irreversible."

"I don't think that it is... It's already starting, Zedd. You're not pure evil anymore. Pure evil would have taken advantage of Katie when she was vulnerable to you. Pure evil would have cheered the people who tortured a teenage sorceress, not killed them. Pure evil sure as hell wouldn't send a teenage boy who lost everything art supplies to try to comfort him. You're not evil."

"Stop! Just stop, Sage! I can't be saved. It's not possible. I accepted that long ago. These things... They mean nothing. Maybe they're from being around Tamira, I don't know... But they are an illusion."

"No, Zedd. They aren't. You feel. Not love, and not everything, but things like remorse and sympathy... And you couldn't feel them before."

He shook his head. "It is not possible," he said firmly.

"Damnit, Zedd, I'm sick and tired of people telling me what I am and am not capable of! I feel this with every ounce of my soul! I can save you! Just let me!"

He stared at her for a moment. "Well... If you feel that strongly about it..." He finally said with a hint of amusement at her outburst.

Sage took his hand. "We need a place to go where no one can find us... A sanctuary."

Suddenly, her phone vibrated. She looked down, expecting it to be Thorn. It wasn't. Instead, the message was from Caius. The farm is a sanctuary from everyone, including Zell. I own the property. It is maintained with magic. If you truly believe you can do this, I believe in you. Bring him there. Good luck.

Sage stared at her phone for a moment, then laughed. She looked at Zedd and showed it to him. He seemed stunned. "Caius... Well, he's rarely wrong," he admitted.

"Bring me there," Sage said.

"I can't. I'm not allowed there anymore. I cannot teleport us."

"Then Zordon can." She called the Command Center on her communicator. "Zordon, if I told you I could save Zedd, would you help me?"

"Save him? What do you mean?" Zordon asked.

"I believe I can restore his light, but I need to bring him to the Chosen's farm. Can you send us there?"

Zordon hesitated. "You truly believe it is possible?"

"Yes."

"It was said he had to die to be free."

"I can strip his immortality... I think. But I may be able to save him without killing him. I feel it, Zordon."

"I trust you, Sage. If you believe it is possible..." He sighed. "Zedd was my brother once. If there's any chance you can save him, I owe it to him to try. I will send you there now."

Moments later, they were teleported. Zedd stared at their surroundings and began to shake. "Zedd... Are you okay?" Sage asked.

"I never believed I'd come back here," he admitted. "I haven't been here since that day."

"Come on. I'll gather supplies. Take a few minutes to adjust to being back while I do."

Zedd nodded, and they split up. This is crazy, Sage told herself. Still, she knew she had to try. She was meant to do this. She would find a way.

ZEDD

He walked to the stables first. The animals there reacted in panic, so he didn't stay long. He didn't want to scare them, but the stables had been his home once. Once he headed toward the house, he found himself walking straight to the very last room in the house... Xia's.

He stepped inside, touching her things, and wished he could cry. He didn't feel grief as he should, but he knew it hurt to be there. He clung to her pillow, wishing she were there. He spent the rest of his time in there until Sage opened the door and guided him out of the room.

They walked to what had been his room. That hurt slightly less. He let Sage take his hands and watched as she began working her spell.

At first, he felt nothing. Then, slowly, about three hours into the spell, he began to feel everything. The grief hit first. It was so extreme, he thought his mind would explode. He thought of his family... Raven, who'd comforted him so many times when no one else could, crushed beneath a building by the man who'd claimed to be their mentor... Quin, murdered for trying to save Zordon... Dimitri and Morgana, killed while trying to save her daughter from Master Vile... And Xia... Oh, Xia... She'd lived a long, happy, extremely full life, but her death had crushed him. The last piece of good that might have clung to him had died with her.

He couldn't breathe. He nearly died more than once, so he knew that somehow, Sage had broken the immortality curse. He could finally die and end this miserable existence.

Tye, he thought. You have to fix her. You're the only one who can heal her face because you did that to her... Don't leave her like that. He knew he had to do it. Disfiguring her had been his deepest regret... Then, slowly, he remembered what he'd done to his other children... He'd raped them. He'd tortured them. He'd made them hurt people... He's tried to rape Angeline, who'd been through a special kind of hell growing up in the foster care system and who had believed he and Rita were her salvation from that world... How could he have done that to her? What kind of monster was he?

Everything hurt. Every evil thing he'd ever done came back to haunt him. Every death he'd been unable to process properly seemed fresh. Every loss, every trauma hit him all over again.

"Zedd? Zedd, stay with me," Sage said gently. "You've made it ten hours... The spell is nearly done."

Xia, he thought. It was all for Xia. It was worth the price... She lived a good life... But now, she's gone... He felt completely overwhelmed as that sank in... And then, Zedd began to cry.

"You're crying," Sage whispered in shock. She pulled him into her arms. "You feel it! You feel it all, don't you?"

"Every bit..." Zedd whispered. "And it all hurts."

"What do you feel most of all right now, Zedd?" She asked.

"Xia... I love her... I..." He froze, suddenly realizing what he'd said. "I love her!" He shouted. "I love her! I can feel it! I don't just remember, I actually love her!" And then, he wept harder, because somehow, Sage had pulled it off. He was himself again... And he'd forgotten how much that could hurt, but he didn't mind. The pain was a small price to pay to finally be able to touch the light again.

"You did it..." He whispered. "You're my angel, Sage... You did the impossible. You saved me." With that, he wrapped Sage in his arms on his old bed and passed out, too exhausted and overwhelmed to do anything else.


	23. Chapter Twenty-Three

TANYA

She hadn't told the kids what had happened to Aisha. Instead, she'd handled the police, who believed she'd died of a heart attack. That was how it looked. Tia hadn't left a single mark on her mother and Taylor hadn't fought back at all.

Tanya had cried with Maddie that night. She'd made sure Taylor and Tia were safe. She'd told Angie the truth, and Angie had stepped up to take care of Tye, Tessa, and Imani for the night. Now, however, it was time to talk to them.

She went for Tye first. That would be the hardest conversation to have, since Tye was nearly mute on a good day. To her surprise, she found Tye curled up on her bed, crying and rocking and sucking her thumb, something she only did when she was really upset.

"Tye?" Tanya called gently.

"Taylor..." Tye said softly. She began repeating his name, like she had when they believed he was dead.

"He's okay," Tanya promised.

"No... No, not okay..."

"He's safe, and he was healed." Tanya realized that, somehow, Tye already knew what had happened.

"Not safe. No one's safe."

"You're safe, Tye. I won't let anyone hurt you."

"No... Not safe... Not safe!"

Tanya wished she knew how to comfort the girl. "I promise you're safe here... And Taylor will be home soon."

Tye stopped speaking after that. Tanya pet her head a few times before leaving her alone. She'd learned that, sometimes, that was what Tye needed.

Tessa and Imani sat in their room playing. Tanya hated that she had to stop them. "Girls... We need to talk," she said gently.

"Tanya, where's Mama?" Imani asked. "I haven't seen her since yesterday... Or Tia, or Taylor."

Tanya's heart broke. "That's what we need to talk about... Something happened."

"Is Mama okay?" Tessa asked nervously.

"No, sweetheart... She's not."

Imani stood up then. "What happened? Did she get kidnapped again?" She asked.

"Was it my father?" Tessa asked softly.

"She wasn't kidnapped..." Tanya sighed. "Girls, your mom was very sick... And something happened, and she did something bad."

"To Taylor?" Imani asked in horror.

"How did you-?"

"She tried to hurt him before Thanksgiving. I saw it. Tia had to stop her." She looked like she might cry. "Is Taylor okay?"

"He's safe," Tanya promised. "He's at Adam's house healing."

"Mama hurt him?" Tessa asked in terror.

"She did, but he's okay. I promise."

"What happened to her? Mama would never hurt us! She never, ever hurts me or Tia, but she's so mean to Taylor... I don't get it," Imani said.

"What happened when your mom was kidnapped changed her, Mani. She was sick, and it made her do these bad things."

"Tanya... Where is she?" Tessa asked in a trembling voice.

"She's gone, sweetie... I'm so sorry. Your mom passed away."

"Passed away?" Tessa repeated.

"She's dead?" Imani asked in horror.

"Yes, Mani. I'm so sorry... I loved your mom so much... She was family to me."

Tessa started crying. Imani didn't. Instead, she asked, "Where's Tia?"

"Tia's with Taylor. She's okay."

Imani nodded. Somehow, Tanya knew the little girl understood exactly how and why her mother had died. She snuggled up in Tanya's arms next to Tessa and began softly crying, too.

"Aunt Tanya..." Tessa began. "Does this mean me, Tye, and Taylor have to go back to our father?" She looked completely terrified at the thought of that.

"Of course not! You're not going anywhere. Your mom put it in writing that I was acting as your guardian anyway. I'll fight to keep custody of you, " Tanya promised. This seemed to soothe the girl, but Tanya knew it might be an uphill battle. She could potentially lose custody of all of Aisha's kids, and Angie, too. The only reason she had custody of Angie was because her siblings lived with Tanya. If they were gone, social services might take her away. The only kid they couldn't take away was Maddie. Tanya was already attached to the children and she couldn't stand the idea of losing them, but she was realistic. She was a single mom with one biological child, a legal foster child, and five children she claimed were her nieces and nephew all living with her. With Aisha in the house, at least there had been two legal adults to care for all of those children, but now, Tanya was alone. To make matters even more complicated, she knew Aisha had another child who was staying with Adam. If Tanya didn't take her, she'd never get to know her siblings. That would make eight children under eighteen with one guardian. What court would agree to that? And if they refused, they would almost definitely separate the kids. Tanya couldn't let that happen. The siblings needed each other.

I need a lawyer, she thought. A damned good one. There was no way she was losing these kids.

Suddenly, Imani jumped up and ran to the front door. "Horsey!" She cried in excitement as she opened it. Tanya stared in shock at the white horse standing in her doorway. "It's okay, Winnie... You tried," Imani said.

"What the heck?" Tanya asked.

"This is Winnie, Tanya. She protects Taylor. She says she wanted to yesterday, but she's supposed to protect Mama's family, too, and... And Mama was the one hurting Taylor, and she wasn't sure what to do." Imani pet the horse and added, "You're still a good horse, Winnie. It's okay."

Tanya realized the horse might draw attention they didn't want. "Okay, not here, Mani. Take her to the backyard and you can talk to her there."

"She can stay?" Imani asked excitedly.

"I have a feeling we don't get a say." Tanya hoped Taylor wouldn't mind the visitor when he returned.

ZEDD

He awoke before Sage did. It was strange to suddenly feel again. Zedd knew he needed to face his demons if he ever hoped to function. He gently shifted so Sage could continue resting. Then, he began what he knew was going to be the hardest thing he'd ever have to do.

He went to Dimitri's room first. If there was any word he'd use to describe Dimitri, it would be strong, and right now, he needed strength. "Hello, old friend," Zedd said softly. He sat on Dimitri's bed and remembered what the room had looked like when he had been alive. The preservation spell on the farm had left things in tact, and it was almost easy to pretend Dimitri was still alive, but the pain in his heart reminded him it wasn't true. "I am so sorry for the way you met your end," he said. "Rita is, too, you know. Your blood being on her hands still haunts her. She didn't mean to hurt you. She lost control because she was scared, and you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. She felt horrible about it afterward. I'm afraid she's quite out of her mind, but in her more rational moments, she occasionally speaks of you with deep regret, in a whisper... She was never fully evil, you know. She didn't give up her light by choice... It left room for a little of her light to remain, but it's not enough to stop her from doing evil things. I tried to take care of her... She may have drugged me into marrying her, but when that wore off, I stayed with her. For Morgana, mostly, but also because... I was lonely. Spending all that time doomed to be alone was painful, and although I couldn't love Rita... I cared about her. She was Morgana's daughter. She was Zordon's love... And she was the one person in this universe that Zell screwed over worse than me. So I tried... I'm sorry I couldn't save her for you guys." He sighed and stood, knowing he needed to talk to Morgana next.

He walked into her room. It didn't look as he had remembered. Although many of her belongings were still inside, such as ritual tools, the room had clearly been inhabited by someone else. Zedd knew Dimitri and Morgana had married while still on the run from Zell, and seeing as how they had descendants, they'd obviously had a child. He suspected Morgana had moved into Dimitri's room and they had given this one to their child. Still, he felt Morgana with him here.

Morgana had been the youngest of the Chosen. She'd barely been a few months older than Zordon. The amount of trauma she'd had to survive was comparable only to Zedd's childhood. He'd opened up to her and admitted the things his father had done to him, and because of that, she'd begun to tell him of her own trauma. He'd done his best to help her heal, although it was Dimitri who truly helped her move beyond her past. Zedd had been terribly attached to Morgana, coming to view her as a little sister. For most of his evil existence, he'd had a similar view of Rita, only she'd irritated him horribly. Only when she'd cast that spell to make him marry her had his view of Rita begun to change, and even then, he often viewed her as a pest he had some small affection for.

He patted Morgana's pillow as he said, "I miss you, sweet Morgana... And I want you to know that your daughter is not a lost cause. If I can be saved, we'll damn well find a way to save her, too." He kissed her pillow before leaving her room.

Quin's room was the next one he went into. The next room belonged to Caius. Zedd decided not to go inside. Caius was still alive and, in fact, still lived in the house sometimes, so that seemed like an invasion of privacy. He also decided not to go into Zordon's room, a place he'd once spent much of his time. Zordon may not have lived there in over ten thousand years, but he was still alive, and it felt wrong to cross that line.

He went into Quin's room and laughed. It was still as Quintus had left it, and the memories that flooded back were happy ones. Quin had always been full of life and laughter. He'd been the only person ballsy enough to play jokes on the likes of Dimitri and Zordon. He'd never taken life too seriously, even when Zell repeatedly tried to break him. Apparently, even if Quin's son had taken over the room after his father died, he'd kept it the same.

Zedd remembered holding the burned bundle of blankets and forcing himself to look inside expecting to see his friend's dead baby only to discover the boy had survived unharmed. It had been the last happy memory he possessed. Right after that, his father had poisoned him, and although he'd had a brief moment of happiness when Xia had convinced Zell to make him part of the Chosen, that had been tainted by the fact that it was a trap. That day, Zell had destroyed everything...

A book fell over and a piece of paper fell out. Zedd reached for it and realized it was a sketch he'd made of Quintus and Dimitri, as Quin made Dimitri crack a smile with one of his pranks. Zedd remembered watching Dimitri get covered in feathers as the prank succeeded. He found himself laughing at the memory. "I get it, Quin," he said. "I'll try to stop being so serious."

He went to Raven's room next. That was excessively difficult. "I spared your life," he began. "If I'd known it was only for that bastard to make a building collapse on top of you... Who am I kidding? I couldn't have harmed you, Raven. Even evil, I could have harmed you about as much as I could have harmed Xia... I might not have felt the attachments, but... I remembered it all. I knew who you were to me. I knocked Morgana out when Vile had her because I couldn't get her away from him, but I could spare her further trauma... And I had hoped if she was unconscious, he would not violate her. I was right. It worked. I protected her... I even told Xia she needed her... And I spared Dimitri because he was dying. Had you not gotten him out, he would have perished. I didn't have to hurt Zordon... Rita broke him that day. But I don't think I could have faced him... My brother... I didn't want to hurt him... His father did that enough. I didn't want to hurt any of you... I'm so sorry, Raven... I wanted so badly to save you. Your death was the hardest. Xia's was impossible, too, but at least she lived her life... A long, happy life. You were so young... "

He shook his head. "I met your descendant, Raven. She's a remarkable girl... I couldn't save you, but I swear with all that I have that I will protect that child. She's too innocent... Too pure of heart, and far too young... She's even younger than Morgana was. She is in more danger than any of them because she possesses the one gift he truly fears. She can give them hope in their darkest hour... And I refuse to let him do to her what he did to you." He felt it then... The familiar sensation of light filling his heart and soothing him. It was stronger than it had been with Tamira because he was good again. He knew Raven was with him. Perhaps they all were.

He allowed the light to soothe some of his emotional pain before walking back into the hallway. There was only one room left, but he wasn't ready for that yet. He couldn't face Xia yet. He was feeling everything too deeply, and he wasn't ready to feel that fully. "That's enough for now," he told himself.

He went to the kitchen. It had been modernized quite a bit, probably so Caius could live a slightly easier life, but it was still the same basic layout he knew well. Zedd had spent much of his time in the kitchen cooking for the Chosen. It soothed him, and it took some of the burden off of Zordon's shoulders. Besides, Quin had fallen in love with Zedd's cooking, and if he could do one small thing to make his friend happy, it was a good enough reason.

He began cooking, figuring Sage might be hungry. She came into the kitchen and looked surprised. "How do you feel?" She asked.

"There aren't words," Zedd replied.

"Lord Zedd? Speechless?" She teased him.

He cringed. "I think I'd prefer to stick to just Zedd, actually."

She smiled. "I had a feeling you might."

"The title was just the petty act of a boy mocking his father. I never wanted to be the Lord of anything, but I took the title he used when I stole his empire... I don't want it anymore. Rita can have it... Lord Zedd is dead and gone. I'd actually give anything to just be the stable boy again."

"Well, that's good to hear, but we're not done. The little bit of sleep I got recharged me... Now for the complicated part."

"That wasn't complicated?"

"I'm going to heal you, Zedd. I'm going to fix what the Zeo Crystal did to you."

"Sage... You've done so much already."

"Look, our parents absorbed the Zeo Crystal. That means that we all have part of it in us, because it was part of them. Two parts are in me and Thorn because both of our parents absorbed it. It burned you because you were evil, but you're good now... And I think it will let me heal you."

Zedd wasn't sure he could let himself believe it might work. Hope was a dangerous thing, and he hadn't been able to feel it in ages. Still, Sage had already proven she could do the impossible.

"What about the armor? It's melted into my muscle, my brain, my spine... When Caius helped me after I did this to myself, he said he couldn't remove it."

"I think I can... But it will be excruciating, Zedd. I need to put you to sleep first."

"No. I want to feel it. I need to feel it."

She looked like she wanted to argue, but she didn't, and he knew she understood. "I'm going to talk to Angie. I think she can help me with this." She walked off and Zedd wondered what her plan might be.

ANGIE

She was sitting on her bed when her phone rang. "Hey, Sage," she said, seeing the Caller ID.

"Angie... I did something crazy last night," Sage said.

"Okay... What was it?"

"I took your father to the Chosen's farm to try to free him from Zell's curse... And from being evil."

Angie hadn't been prepared for that. "Did it work?" She asked.

"Actually... Yes. Zedd's not evil anymore, Angie. He's good again."

"Are you sure?"

"He feels horrible about everything he put you and your siblings through... He told me he wants to drop the whole 'Lord' bit and just go by Zedd."

Angie was stunned. "He said that? Because he even made us call him either 'my Lord' or, occasionally, 'Father.' Dad was forbidden."

"He's not the monster you met, Angie. He never really was, but he was trapped by agreeing to become evil."

"So... You're saying he's truly good. Like, I don't have to help you guys destroy him? And he won't try to..." She didn't finish her sentence, shuddering at the memory of the day she'd finally run away from her parents and Merkhet.

"He won't hurt you, Angie. He hates himself for what he did."

She hated how badly she needed to believe that. A small part of Angie still clung to the hope that her parents would be able to love her. She knew her mother did, but she'd had to give up on her father when he tried to rape her as punishment for saving Aisha and the kids.

"There's more... I think I can heal him so he's not covered in burns anymore," Sage said.

Angie found herself not even slightly hesitant as she asked, "How can I help?" If her father was good, he deserved another chance, but he'd never get that if he still looked like the Lord Zedd the universe knew and feared.

"Can you reach out to Finster?"

Angie was surprised. "Sure, of course... He'll answer if I call, but why?"

"I want him to make a clay Zedd."

"Um... Why?"

"I'm going to use it as a focal point to remove the metal armor that's melted into his body. It's going to be painful for him, but if I enchant the clay figure, I think I can do it easier."

"You want a poppet? Save your energy. I'll enchant it. I can do that in my sleep."

"Are you sure?"

"The magic you want to do is going to require a lot of strength. Let me take this part off your plate."

"I know you have issues with your dad."

"I have issues with Lord Zedd... If he's not that guy anymore, I'm willing to give him a chance. Finster will do this for me."

"If he knows the reason-"

"He'll still do it. Finster knows how badly I wanted to be able to be with my parents. He'll help me if I ask."

"Okay. Thanks, Angie. Do you know how to get it to the farm?"

"I can ask Caius or Zordon."

"Great. Get it here as fast as you can."

"No problem." Angie hung up. She slipped out of the house and hurried to an area away from everyone else. Only there did she call, "Finster... I need your help."

The kindly older monster appeared looking concerned. "Angeline? Are you alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine... I need you to do something without everyone else finding out."

"That should be easy. They're all fighting amongst themselves. Your father is missing, your mother locked herself in her room and won't come out, your grandfather and Tanner are clashing at every turn, Goldar and Scorpina spend most of their time in their bedroom together, and Merkhet is just frustrated with the lot of us."

"Can I tell you a secret?"

"Of course, my dear."

"My father isn't missing... He's good. His curse is broken."

"That is impossible... Only death-"

"I know, but somehow, she did it."

"Who? No, don't tell me. It is better I don't know."

"He needs help, Finster. Can you make me a clay replica of my father? Don't bring it to life, just create it. I have to get it to someone who can use it to help him... It needs all the details, down to his armor."

Finster smiled. "I haven't had a true, detailed creation in ages! I will include every bit of metal and every scar, my dear Angeline."

She hugged him, and he smiled again. "I have missed that," he admitted.

Within an hour, Finster had created the replica. Angie thanked him and took it to her room. She began to cast her spell, infusing the poppet with enough magic that Sage would easily be able to do the rest and connect the creation to her father.

Caius found her before she made it far. "I told Zordon where you're going. He is ready to teleport you," he said.

She arrived at the farm moments later. Angie was amazed by its quiet beauty. Part of her didn't want to leave, but she knew that until Sage was done with her spellwork, she needed to keep her distance.

Sage came toward her. She examined the poppet. "The detail on this is incredible!" She said. "Thank you, Angie."

"Thank Finster. I don't need to be thanked. He's my father." She aimed her wand at the poppet and decided the old spell should still do the trick, with a slight modification. "Make. My. Poppet. Grow!" She shouted. The poppet grew to her father's exact size.

"That's amazing," Sage said.

Angie laughed. "Guess I've still got it."

"I know it took a lot for you to do this for him."

"This is nothing. You're the one doing the hard work." With that, Angie left, knowing it was time to go.

SAGE

The poppet was easy to connect to Zedd. A single drop of his blood enchanted it. Sage began removing the armor slowly from the replica. As each piece was removed, Zedd screamed in utter agony. It broke her heart, but she knew she had to keep going. She couldn't grow his skin back until all of the metal was gone.

The helmet was tricky with Zedd's brain exposed. One wrong move could literally kill him or destroy his mind. She was extra careful as she began to remove it.

Zedd screamed louder than he had before. When he fell nearly silent, barely letting out a few whimpers, Sage was afraid she'd messed up.

"Are you still with me?" She asked. Zedd managed a slight nod. "You need a break."

"No," he whispered. He took a deep breath. "Keep going. I can take it."

Sage couldn't believe how strong he was. It was clear he was in enough pain that most would be begging for an end. "Zedd-"

"My... My father... Did worse. I can take it."

She touched his hand to comfort him briefly before she went back to it. Finally, a few minutes later, she was done. She carefully cleaned off the metal, knowing it was important to Zedd. When she handed it to him, he looked at her weakly. "Thank you," he whispered. "For not throwing it away."

"You wore it when you touched the Zeo Crystal as an act of defiance. You wanted the Chosen to know your heart was still with them. I know this is more than scrap metal to you." She paused. "Let's take a break for an hour, to give you a chance to recover and to get my energy back up. Then we'll regrow your skin."

"You sound so confident."

"I am." She kissed his cheek gently, careful not to hurt his raw, newly exposed muscles. Zedd's breathing was evening out. She knew he'd be okay. "The worst is over," she promised. "Regrowing the skin will hurt, but not as much... And there's a way to make it easier..."

Zedd stared at her. "Sage, no. I can't ask you to do that."

"You're not asking. I'm offering."

He touched her cheek with such tenderness, she nearly melted. Zedd was so much gentler than she'd expected.

"You are too good to lower yourself to that," he said firmly.

"You're an incubus, Zedd. Nothing heals you faster than-"

"I don't mind the extra pain. After all of the pain I've inflicted upon everyone else, it's quite fitting I have to suffer."

"Zedd, I've already expended a lot of energy... And I was bleeding energy anyway... This would help me conserve some of my energy."

He hesitated. "Sage, I know what you have been through... I know how your son came to be. I do not want to traumatize you any more than you already are."

Sage knew he'd never believe she could handle this without a display. She kissed him, pulling him closer to her as she forced herself to do it. Quickly, she stopped feeling any fear. Zedd might still look like her old enemy, but he wasn't evil anymore, and he was actually a hell of a kisser.

"You're an incubus," she reminded him. "It's only traumatic if you make it that way... I trust you, Zedd."

Zedd stared at her before kissing her again. She was surprised by it, but she didn't mind. She knew the kiss wasn't romantic. They weren't going to become a couple or anything. She nearly laughed at the visual of trying to tell her father that Zedd was her new boyfriend. Instead, they were connecting on the deepest level two friends could connect. Even when she slept with him, it would be about healing him, not romance.

When he finally broke the kiss, Sage was breathless. Zedd wasn't much better. "I feel alive," he mumbled. "For the first time in so long..."

Sage had planned to give him space as she recharged, but instead, she stayed in his arms. She could tell it comforted him, and it kept her focused. She did do one thing before focusing purely on Zedd. She sent Zeke a text.

You can talk to Katie now. She could feel in her heart it was time for her cousin to know the truth, and she hoped it would help Zeke come back to the team. With that taken care of, she focused on the immediate task at hand. This wasn't going to be easy.

KATIE

She was surprised to get Zeke's text, but she rushed over to his house as soon as she did. She flung her arms around him as it hit her how much she'd missed him. "Are you okay? What the hell was so major my cousin said we couldn't talk to each other?" She demanded.

A tiny human ran toward them. "Hi!" She said. "I'm Lilly!"

"Wait, Lilly," Zeke said firmly. "This is my sister, Katie... She's a hugger. Lilly, what did I tell you about meeting Katie?"

"Ask first," Lilly said very seriously. She looked at Katie with big eyes and dimples and asked, "Can I have a hug, Katie?"

Katie laughed. "She's trained better than Mimic Force Emma!" She said, laughing harder. "Okay, Kid, come here." She wrapped the Bundle of Cuteness in a hug before releasing her.

"Lilly, Katie and I need to talk upstairs. Just go back to watching TV, okay?" Zeke asked.

Lilly nodded and hurried off. Zeke led Katie upstairs. "Katie... A lot happened while you were away," he began as he sat on his bed. Katie sat down beside him.

"Talk, Zeke... What was so bad that you gave your power coin to Troy?" She asked.

"I... I ran into my mother," Zeke began.

"What did the bitch do now? Do you want me to kick her ass?"

Zeke sighed. "It's bad, Katie... And you're going to be mad at me."

"Why?"

"I tried to kill myself."

Katie stared at him. "That's not funny, Zeke."

"I'm not joking, Katie. I tried to down three weeks of my ADHD meds... If Dad hadn't realized something was off, I wouldn't be here."

Katie was horrified. "Zeke... Why? Why would you...?" She couldn't even say the words.

"My mom only paid attention to me for one reason when I was a kid... And Tanner picked up on it when I tried to protect Maddie from him, and he used it... Stuck me in flashbacks and... And sent her to me. And... And she..." He shook his head. "I thought it would get easier to talk about this... I'm sorry."

"You don't have to say it."

"Lilly's not just my sister, Katie... Almost no one, including Lilly, knows this... But she's mine. And I found out after I tried to off myself. I did it because... It wasn't just my mom this time, and I realized she'd never love me even if I did what she wanted, and... And the guy... I never saw his face, and he's out there, Katie... He's still out there, and I'm fucking terrified all the time, and I'm trying to hold myself together, but I can't sometimes... I'm in therapy, and I'm trying, but they're still out there... She went on the run... And I... I just..."

Katie saw the first tear fall down his cheek. Zeke almost never cried. She automatically wiped the tear away gently with her index finger.

Zeke broke down. He buried his face in her shoulder and sobbed harder than he ever had before. Katie held him tight and whispered, "Shhh... It's okay, Zeke. Let this out. I'm here. And I'm not mad at you, I promise."

It took a while for Zeke to calm down. When he finally did, Katie continued to hold him as she asked, "Want me to kill her?"

He hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Please..."

"Don't worry, Zeke. Killing my friends' monsters is my specialty. Neither of those bastards will ever hurt you again." Zeke might not know who the man had been, but his mother did and Katie knew exactly how to make evil bitches talk. First, however, she was spending the night. Her friend needed her more than she needed to seek revenge to protect him. She texted Jayden and her father quickly to explain why she wouldn't be coming home before she curled up beside Zeke and held him for the rest of the night.

THORN

He was curled up with Caleb when he sensed something was off. Reluctantly, he released his boyfriend and went to investigate. What he found stunned him.

Liza, who'd been trying to adjust to her new surroundings, was sitting on the floor of the bedroom she currently occupied with blood everywhere. Thorn quickly realized her wrists were slit.

"Caleb, I need towels!" He shouted.

Caleb came running in with towels. He paled when he saw why they were necessary. "Call an ambulance," Thorn said as he began applying pressure to her wounds.

Caleb stared at her. "Thorn... I'm not sure that's Liza," he said.

"Of course it's Liza. Screw the ambulance... Social Services might take her away if we call one... I need my mom's supplies. I think I can patch her up."

"Thorn, listen to me-"

"She's bleeding out, Caleb. There's no time."

Caleb left to get the supplies. He returned with them. "Help me hold her," Thorn said as Liza struggled against him.

Caleb hesitated before getting closer. "Thorn, I... I don't think I can touch her right now."

"Why not?"

"Because that's not Liza... It's a spirit."

Thorn froze and stared at the unusual sorceress his sister had brought home. He drew a symbol of life on her forehead with his index finger and she screamed before going limp in his arms.

"Thorn! The blood," Caleb said urgently. He took Liza into his arms so Thorn could take care of her wounds.

Tia and Taylor stood in the doorway. "Let me help," Taylor said softly.

"Taylor-" Thorn began.

"I can heal her... At least enough to save her life."

Thorn nodded. "Okay."

Taylor knelt beside Liza. He began taking care of the worst of it. Thorn applied some of his mother's herbal remedy to help it along. Finally, Liza's eyes fluttered open. Taylor left the room without another word. "That bitch..." She mumbled.

"What happened?" Thorn asked.

"Aisha... The bitch tried to kill me." Liza seemed to realize Tia was standing there then. "Sorry," she added.

"She is not at rest," Tia said. "She won't be until we give her a proper funeral back in the Village... Excuse me." She left the room.

"I think they do funeral pyres in Aisha's village," Thorn said.

"Oooh, can I go? Because I want to see that bitch burn," Liza said.

Thorn was positive she meant that literally, and considering what had just happened, he could understand why she felt that way.

SAGE

She could hardly believe she was doing this. Sage knew it was the right way to go, but considering all she'd been through, sleeping with someone was a big step. Still, she knew it was the best way to fix him.

Zedd took things incredibly slow. He was careful not to hurt her as they progressed. He kept hesitating and trying to give her the option to change her mind, but Sage could feel it starting to work. She wasn't going to stop now.

It stunned her when Zedd's flesh began to visibly grow back. After a few minutes, it was clearly visible everywhere. His hair began growing back as well, and Sage found herself touching the long, dark strands. His skin was pale and unflawed, and as she studied his face, Sage realized how handsome Zedd had actually been before touching the Zeo Crystal. He was unrecognizable now that he was no longer the monster they'd all known.

Sage touched his face and smiled. "You're gorgeous," she told him honestly.

"It worked?" Zedd asked in disbelief.

"It worked," she confirmed.

"Do you want to stop?" Zedd asked.

She was too wrapped up in his energy now. She wasn't afraid, and she also wasn't ready to stop yet. "No," she told him. Sage kissed him and felt something strange flowing into her energy field.

When they finally stopped, Sage stared at him breathlessly. "Are you okay?" He asked.

Sage realized with shock that for the first time in too long, she didn't feel her energy ebbing away. She wasn"t bleeding it out. She wasn't going to fade into nothingness. She felt normal... Better than that, even. "I... My energy. It's... "

"I patched the hole in your energy field... Everything you were losing, the way you were killing yourself... I regenerated the energy, I cleansed your heart, and I patched the hole."

"What? How?"

"I'm an incubus, remember?" He smiled at her and Sage understood why Galaxia had instantly fallen for him. His light radiated from his eyes, especially when he smiled. She knew she wasn't falling for Zedd, but she could suddenly appreciate his appeal, especially since she was still so deeply connected to his soul.

"I didn't know an incubus could do that."

"Every incubus is different. Those who live in the dark can do a lot, but I was the first incubus to ever be good... It was unheard of before that... And I was the strongest of my line. In fact, according to the bastard I called a father, I was the strongest incubus to walk the Earth, period... And I've only gotten stronger over all this time. Taylor has similar power levels, but he's much younger, so he isn't quite as strong as I am... He's just stronger than every other incubus, like I was. So basically, any power an incubus might possess, we both have. The difference is, I know how to use them all. Taylor's still learning."

"Zedd... You saved my life. I was going to die."

"You saved mine first," he reminded her. He kissed her forehead. "It was the least I could do, my Angel."

"I'm no angel."

"You are to me."

"Do you want to see what you look like?"

He hesitated. "Tell me something first... Because I can't look for myself."

"What is it?"

"The scars on my face... Are they... Are they still there?"

He looked like a lost little boy as he asked her that, and it broke her heart. His father had traumatized him so thoroughly that even growing new skin left him convinced the wound would never heal. "No," she said gently. "They're gone, Zedd. Your skin is brand new, and the scars are gone." She kissed his cheek where they had once been, then ran his hand over it to prove this to him.

Zedd nodded. "Thank you for that," he said. He took a deep breath and pulled on some perfectly preserved clothing that was in his drawer. "It still fits," he said with a laugh. Then he walked in front of the mirror and looked at his reflection. He was shaking.

"Zedd? Are you okay?" Sage asked, wrapping the blanket around her body as she walked toward him.

"That's me..." He said in wonder.

"Yes. How old were you, Zedd? You look about nineteen."

"I was sixteen... Immortals usually continue to age until they reach some stage of adulthood unless a spell forbids it... That's why Caius is physically in his early thirties... But I assume the Zeo Crystal did so much damage, my body only aged for a short time." He shook his head and laughed. "More than ten thousand years and I'm still a teenager... How terribly cruel the universe can be!"

"Should I expect teen angst?" Sage teased him.

"Perhaps a bit... It would be worse if it were Zordon... He was the embodiment of... What's that word the kids use? Ah, yes... Emo."

Sage began laughing. "I cannot believe you just called Zordon emo!"

"Well, it's the truth..." He laughed with her. "He had every right to be, though. His father took everything from him and did everything he could to break him."

"You miss him," she realized.

"I do... I miss them all, but Zordon... We shared no blood, but we were brothers, Sage."

"You can see him soon... When you're ready."

"I don't know that I'll ever be ready... I put him through so much... I became the one thing he could never forgive, and I made it my mission to destroy him... But I would very much like to see him anyway, if for no other reason than to try to apologize."

"Zordon is nothing if not wise. He'll forgive you. I'm pretty sure Caius already has."

"Ah, Caius... I owe him so much. Even with me being evil, when I touched the Zeo Crystal, Caius took care of me. Zell would have left me suffering for eternity. Caius eased my pain, allowed me to breathe with alien technology he stole from Zell, and made sure the burns didn't get infected. He's an amazing man, and I never forgot his kindness."

"We will stay here for a couple more days, and then we'll go back to Angel Grove. You can stay at my house until you get on your feet."

"Your family cannot possibly be okay with that."

"They don't get a say. I trust you, Zedd. I know what's in your heart."

"Sage... Tomorrow, will you help me face the basement? I haven't been down there since that day, and I need to face it."

"Of course I will. I'm here to help you face whatever you need to." She could feel his fear. She squeezed his hand to soothe him.

"Thank you... I already faced most of the rooms... Except..."

"Galaxia's?" Sage guessed.

"I don't think I can do that... Not now that I can feel it."

"You'll get there in time." Sage yawned as exhaustion hit her.

Zedd pulled her closer. "Rest, my Angel," he said gently. "You've done more than enough for today."

Sage might have protested, but she fell into a deep sleep almost immediately.

THE NEXT DAY.

BULK

He was used to life on the inside at this point. Bulk was practically running the joint! Okay, so maybe that wasn't true. Jail was full of creeps and scum, and even if those were totally his people, they didn't take well to child killers, especially big guys who picked on little girls who were orphans. Bulk might not be guilty, but no one believed him. To survive, he'd had to find himself a crew.

Mick was in for robbing banks and killing three people in the process. He was even bigger than Bulk and he scared the hell out of everyone. The guy might be scary, but he was fiercely loyal, and when Bulk saved him from a knife-wielding inmate trying to make a name for himself, Mick had immediately declared him a friend. With Mick at his side, Bulk had recruited two drug dealers, an arsonist, and a terrified kid named Joey that had been doomed to become someone's bitch. Joey wasn't fierce or scary or even remotely impressive, but he was eager, friendly, and desperately needed to be protected. He reminded Bulk of Skull as a teenager, and he'd quickly decided he couldn't just ignore the kid.

The crew gathered together now. Bulk noticed Joey had a black eye. "Who did it?" He demanded

"Smitty," Joey said. Why was there always a Smitty in every prison? Bulk had met quite a few over the years.

"Want me to kill him, Boss?" Mick asked. "I'm in for three life sentences anyway. What's one more?"

"Nobody would miss Smitty enough to give you life over it," Bulk said, "but no killing. That's not how we roll. Just kick his ass a little. Teach him to respect our boy."

A guard came over. "Bulkmeier, you've got a visitor," he said.

"My lawyer?" Bulk asked.

"Am I your fucking secretary? Just come with me." The guard said, practically dragging him away from his crew.

Bulk expected Skull or maybe his mother. His wife refused to see him. She had already sent the divorce papers, which he tried not to think about. She believed he was guilty, and that hurt more than Bulk cared to admit.

"Lieutenant Stone?" Bulk asked in surprise. "Is it time for a visit already?" He visited once a week, but Bulk was pretty sure it hadn't been a week yet... It was hard to tell in the Joint.

"Today is special," Lieutenant Stone replied. "Bulkmeier, I have to tell you something that may shock you... Maybe I'd better just show you... Come on in," he said to someone Bulk couldn't see.

When he finally saw the person, Bulk stared at him in confusion. "Billy?!" He asked before promptly fainting.

It took a minute for Bulk to come around. When he did, Billy was still there. "Are you okay, Farkas?" Lieutenant Stone asked with concern.

"You... You're here..." Bulk said in shock. "But how? I was there, Billy... I pulled Little Billy out of the rubble, but... But we couldn't find you... We looked everywhere... They said it was hopeless... That you blew up! How the hell are you here? Where were you?" Bulk demanded.

"Monsters, Bulk. This is Angel Grove," Billy said. "I was kidnapped... For three years."

"Jesus, Billy, it's good to see you!" Bulk shook his head. "It broke my damn heart to hear Little Billy crying out for you when I found him."

"Bulk, I wanted to thank you... For saving my son."

"You don't need to thank me. He's a good kid. I like him."

"He wouldn't have survived if you hadn't found him. You saved his life. That's a debt I can't repay. I'm going to help you, though. I know you didn't do this, Bulk. And as soon as I'm legally declared alive, I'll prove it. I promise you, I'm going to get you out of this."

Bulk knew if anyone could pull that off, it was Billy. "Thank you," he said. "But you don't owe me anything. Anyone would have done it."

"You were the only one of the neighbors who came to help... And you dug through rubble even after the paramedics gave up. Tommy told me everything. You're a hero, Bulk."

He liked hearing that, but he didn't feel very heroic stuck in jail for supposedly killing a kid. "You really think you can get me off?"

"I know I can. I have proof it was a monster. I just need to be legally alive to testify."

"You're standing right here. You're obviously alive."

"Yes, but I'm caught up in an endless web of red tape and paperwork."

"The Green Ranger spoke to the court on your behalf. They agreed to delay the trial until Billy can testify," Lieutenant Stone said.

"A Power Ranger stood up for me? Why?" Bulk asked in shock.

"Because this Ranger knows what you did for Josh and believes you are a genuinely good man," Billy said.

"Would they mind telling my wife that? She left me and she's taking the kids."

"Oh, Bulkmeier, I'm sorry," Lieutenant Stone said. "That's awful."

"Well, I can't make your wife take you back, but I can ask around and see if anyone can pull some strings to keep her from getting sole custody," Billy said.

"That would be more than enough... If Edith doesn't want me anymore, fine... But she can't steal my kids... They're my life," Bulk said honestly. He loved his kids more than anything in the world. Sure, he was a screw-up. He could admit that... But when it came to his kids, he was great with them. He'd never hit them or mistreated them, and they always had fun together. He was a decent father. He didn't deserve to lose his kids, and the idea broke his heart.

"Time's up!" The guard declared.

"We'll get you out as soon as we can, Bulk. I promise," Billy said.

"Until next time, Bulkmeier," Lieutenant Stone said.

"Billy..." Bulk said as they began to leave.

"Yes?" Billy asked, turning back around.

"I'm really glad you're alright."

"Thanks, Bulk. Me, too." As they left, Bulk felt the first slither of hope that he might actually get out of jail one day.

TAYLOR

He was back home. Taylor couldn't go into his room, so he was sitting on Tye's bed instead. He gently pet her as she curled up on him silently. He only shifted her when he heard voices in the hallway.

"Mama is not at rest," Tia said urgently. "We must give her the proper rites back home."

"Tia... That's complicated," Tanya replied.

"What's the big deal, Mom?" Maddie asked. "Things were complicated, but Aisha still deserves a funeral."

"Back in the village, they still use pyres at funerals, sweetheart," Tanya explained.

What the hell is a pyre? Taylor wondered.

"Pyres? As in...? Oh. Oh yeah, that's... Extreme," Maddie agreed.

Taylor had to know now. He walked into the hallway. "What's extreme?" He asked.

"Tia says your mother needs a traditional funeral... And in the village your mom lived in, they hold funeral pyres... They burn the body to release the spirit," Tanya explained gently.

"We have to watch Mama burn?" A tiny, terrified voice asked. Taylor realized Tessa and Imani had come into the hallway, but it was Tessa who had spoken.

"It's okay, Tessie," Imani said, hugging her. "Mama won't feel any pain. It helps the souls move on... It's good for her."

Tessa nodded, but Taylor knew she was scared. He pulled her into his arms. "Tanya... Do Tessa and Tye have to go? Because I'm not sure they can deal with this," he said.

"No one has to do anything they're not okay with," Tanya promised.

Taylor wondered if that meant he could skip it, too. The idea of watching his mother burn terrified him. He couldn't understand how it was supposed to help her... But if it did, shouldn't he be there? He looked at Tia and saw the pain in her eyes. Suddenly, he heard Sage's voice in his head. Be there for her, she whispered. Tia needs to remember why she did what she did.

He wanted to argue, but he knew Sage liked Tia a lot and was only trying to look out for her. Besides, he was the reason his mother was dead. He owed both her and Tia this much. He didn't ask to skip the funeral, and he tried to tell himself he'd be okay, but he wasn't so sure.

ZEDD

He'd faced the basement. It had been easier than he'd expected with Sage by his side. Now, however, he sat in Xia's room and had to force himself not to run. Sage had stayed with him for a bit, but he'd finally asked for privacy. This, he must face alone.

"My love..." He whispered. He shook his head. "Oh, Xia... Can you ever forgive me?"

He could feel her then. Zedd closed his eyes and openly began to weep. "I love you," he told her. "I truly love you again... I told you it would always be you."

Finally, she whispered in his head. I love you, too.

"Xia..." He whispered.

I'm here, Zedd. I've always been here.

You must hate me for all I've done, he thought.

No, my love... I could never hate you... I just never understood why... What could he have done to make you think this was your only choice?

He owed her the truth, so he gave it to her. After he explained, he said, "It was worth it, Xia... You were worth it."

Xia cried softly in his head. I wish you'd believed we could stop it together... But I understand now why you chose this life... And I love you even more for it, if that's possible.

He spent the rest of the night allowing himself to finally grieve all that he'd lost... Including Xia. The next day, he would force himself to leave the farm again, but today, he needed to try to process the worst of it.

THE NEXT DAY.

TAYLOR

He wasn't sure what to expect as Tia opened the portal to the village in Africa. Tye and Tessa were staying with Troy, mostly because Tye trusted Sage and knew Troy was her son. She was nervous around him, but she didn't panic, and that made the difference. Tessa was content to spend time with Luke since Troy brought them to his uncle's house where Jason's boys were still staying.

Tanya led the way. Tia had sent their mother's body ahead. Taylor stayed close to Angie. He knew she'd mostly come as moral support for him, and he was grateful. He couldn't really understand why Liza had come, but he suspected she just wanted to make sure the spirit who'd tried to kill her was gone. Maddie walked through next, and Tia walked through last holding Imani's hand.

He held it together pretty well as the person officiating the ceremony sang his mother's praises. He'd never met the nurturing caregiver who helped save their village as a child, but she sounded pretty awesome. Taylor wondered what had happened to her. Of course, he knew the answer... His father had kidnapped, raped, and tortured her and she'd lost her mind and, apparently, turned evil.

As the pyre was lit, Taylor stopped thinking about that. Instead, he watched in horror as the flames got closer and closer to her body. Panic began seizing him as he saw her start to burn. He couldn't breathe.

This is my fault, he thought. And then, he couldn't think at all. On the inside, he was screaming and begging himself to look away, but he couldn't do it. He just kept staring as his mother burned and tears streamed down his cheeks while he hyperventilated.

LIZA

"Someone, do something! The poor kid is hysterical!" Liza said in horror.

"We need to let him grieve," Tanya said.

"He's not grieving, he's panicking. Screw this." Liza walked over to the brother she'd never known she had. It was painful to watch him cry and she was overwhelmed with the need to comfort him. She turned him forcibly away from the sight of the pyre and held him tight. He sobbed in her arms, collapsing against her in his pain.

Liza noticed Maddie sending energy toward the pyre and knew she was making it burn faster. She appreciated that. After it was done, Liza released Taylor. Tia and Imani walked through the village as the people they'd grown up around comforted them. Maddie excitedly explored with her mother. Angie kept to herself, trying to look out for Taylor. Liza took the opportunity to try to connect to the magic of the land. It was different, and she liked it.

"Liza... Have you seen Taylor?" Angie asked nervously a while later.

"I thought he was with you," Liza said.

"Tanya asked me to watch Mani for a minute, and the next thing I knew, Taylor had vanished."

"I'll find him," Liza said. "He can hide from you guys, but he won't expect me to look for him." She immediately began searching for her brother. She might not know this new group of siblings, but she felt compelled to look out for them, especially Taylor. It was clear the boy had more emotional scars than anyone ever should.

She found Taylor fairly quickly. He stood near the remains of the pyre, clutching something in his hand. Liza realized it was a blade, and he was about to draw blood. "Don't," she said firmly, taking the blade from him. "Don't give that bitch the satisfaction."

Taylor looked at her and it was clear he didn't have the will to fight her. Defeated, he continued to stare at the pyre. "Tanya..." Liza said as she walked by. "We need to get him home. Either you all come with me, or I open a portal myself and bring him back."

"The new house should be ready," Tanya said. "The Rangers set it up and moved us in." With Tommy's help, Tanya had found a house to move into with the kids. It would have more room and it wouldn't have the horrible memories or the faint blood stains from where Taylor had nearly died. Tanya had also stepped up to take custody of Liza so she could be with her siblings. It was the lawyer Sage had contacted to help Liza, Sellie Klein, who had insisted on paying for the house. She worked for a huge corporation and did pro bono work to redeem her soul. Sellie worked with abused children and, upon finding out Tanya was caring for a large group of them, she'd taken on her case. After immediately falling in love with Imani, Sellie had insisted on buying them the house, calling it part of her legal strategy. Tanya was fighting hard to keep all of the siblings together, and Liza figured it might not be horrible, although she wasn't used to sharing her home with so many people. She was also a bit concerned that Tanya expected her to do some sort of chores. That was new for her.

"Let me take him... He's not doing well," Liza said. At best, Taylor was currently a shell of himself. At worst, he might actually be heading toward a full-blown catatonic state.

"We'll all go," Tanya said. "Maddie and Angie are exhausted, it's past Mani's bedtime, and I think Tia needs to get away from this place... It's only making her remember who your mom used to be, and it makes her question if she did the right thing. I'll gather the troops. Stay with Taylor."

Liza nodded. A few minutes later, Imani came toward her. A dog followed close behind her. "Rico wants me to get a dog," Imani told her. "Not him. He lives here... But a friend to make me less sad."

The dog rubbed its nose against Imani's arm. "Well, Rico, I guess we'll have to convince Tanya," Liza replied. She paused as the dog began communicating with her. Like everyone else who met little Imani, he was quite attached to her, and he wanted her to be happy. "I'll make it happen," she promised the kindly old dog.

"You can understand him?" Imani asked in shock.

"It runs in the family," Liza said with a smile. To her surprise, Imani flung her arms around her. She decided to indulge the little one and hugged her back.

"How do we get Auntie Tanya to agree?" Imani asked.

"Ask her today," Liza suggested. "There's no way she can tell your cute, dimpled face no when you're so sad."

"In that case... I'm asking for a kitty, too!" Imani said.

Liza laughed. "Oh, you're definitely my sister," she said.

The others finally joined them. Tia looked beyond exhausted and Liza felt bad for her. She might have no attachment to Aisha, but Tia had loved her fiercely. It was cruel that the universe had decided Tia had to be the one to stop her. Liza opened the portal so Tia didn't have to. Her only older sister looked at her and nodded to show her appreciation before stepping through.

The house was perfect. It was big and had rooms for everyone. Sage had even called and asked Troy and David to build a little stable for Winifred the horse, who seemed to have decided she lived wherever Taylor did. Taylor hadn't gone anywhere near her, and he'd freaked out when he saw Imani riding her, but he also hadn't tried to refuse to let the horse stay.

Liza headed to the basement. At Sage's suggestion, Tanya had agreed to turn it into the Sorcery Wing. Angie, Tia, and Liza each had a room down there. The rooms were unpainted, and Liza began using spells to try out different colors on her walls. Angie saw this and smiled before snapping her fingers. Instantly, her bedroom was a brilliant shade of purple.

"Nice," Liza said with a nod before trying out yet another shade of blue. It would be a while before she settled on one. "Are you going to do your room?" She asked Tia.

"That is not an appropriate use of my magic," Tia replied. "I am going to sleep." She closed her door.

"She's having a hard time," Angie said softly.

"She's kind of cold anyway from what I've seen. That girl's got baggage... But she's entitled," Liza said. "Want to be nice to the midgets?"

"What did you have in mind?"

Liza led her upstairs and headed to the room Imani and Tessa shared. They had their own rooms technically, but the two were close, and Tessa was too scared to sleep in her own room, so Tanya had set them up together.

"Do you girls like pink?" Liza asked.

"Yeah!" Imani replied.

"I guess," Tessa said. Tessa seemed to just go along with what other people wanted.

Liza nodded at Angie, who spelled the walls pink. Liza then splashed some rainbows onto the walls, along with clouds, and a unicorn by each of their beds. Finally, she bewitched the ceiling to look like the night sky. It glowed beautifully and she could see Tessa stare at it in wonder.

"Now you'll never be in the dark," she told them. "Should we get Taylor's room?" She asked Angie.

"It's painted. Sage asked Taylor what color he wanted. He likes blue, so he asked for that," Angie said.

"Cool. And Tye?"

"Tye doesn't communicate things like that... But we can ask her tomorrow. Let her rest tonight. She's probably with Taylor. She tends to know when he's upset and she just lays with him and lets him hold her."

"They're twins, right?"

"No. They were conceived a day apart. They were both aged to fifteen. I don't know why our father did that. They're close, though. When he was missing, the only thing Tye would say was his name."

Liza wondered if Zedd had intentionally aged them that way. She couldn't really guess, seeing as how she didn't know him, although she had to admit she was curious about him. She hoped she'd get a chance to learn more now that Sage had saved him.

THE NEXT NIGHT.

TAYLOR

Taylor hadn't spoken, eaten, or even moved much since the funeral. He was in such bad shape, Tye had held him instead of the other way around. Earlier in the day, Josh had come by. Taylor had cried in his arms silently, unable to find enough comfort in anything, even that. Finally, Josh had reluctantly left, obviously upset he couldn't help.

He hurt more than he could process. Taylor found himself doing exactly what he'd promised Caius he wouldn't. He tried not to give in and cut himself, but it was the only thing that provided the slightest bit of relief from the overwhelming emotions he was facing. Emotional pain this extreme was beyond his understanding, but physical pain made sense to him. In making him hurt himself, his mother had taught him a very dangerous coping mechanism.

Everyone else was asleep or not paying attention. Taylor snuck outside and walked into the backyard. Slowly, he walked toward his stalker.

"Hey," he said lamely, finding his voice now that his emotions had been expressed in another way. "Look... I know I haven't been very nice to you... I yell at you, and I tell you to go away, and I treat you like crap... But you keep coming back and I realized... I realized you're just trying to help me, but all I do is hurt you and I'm sorry... Because you're good, Winnie... You're just trying to protect me, and you're good, and I treat you like you're evil... And you don't deserve that... I did to you exactly what... What she did to me... And I'm sorry."

The horse rubbed her nose on his face. He began to pet her, shyly at first, and then he relaxed. There was no reason for him to fear that horse, and he vowed to be nicer to her.

Winifred seemed to be very happy with that. She continued to let Taylor pet her, and when he talked, he felt like she was truly listening. He knew he could tell her anything without fear of being judged, laughed at, or mistreated.

"It's all my fault, Winnie," he told her softly as he began to cry into her fur. "If I hadn't been born, none of this would have happened... But she couldn't love me... And she hurt me... And I was so scared, but still so desperate for her to love me..." He kept talking, pouring his heart out to the horse. He hadn't expected the act of confiding in her to be so comforting. "You'll keep my secrets, right?" He asked. "No telling Mani, or anyone else who can understand you, okay? Promise?" The horse rubbed her nose against his face in response and he took that as a binding agreement. He felt a little bit better by the end of the night.

RITA

She hadn't known what to think when she felt her connection to Zedd shatter. She knew their marriage was somehow null and void, and for a while, she'd feared he was dead. Maybe Zell had found him, removed the immortality curse, and killed him.

Her father had set her straight. "Lord Zedd no longer lives... He has betrayed us and turned good," he told her.

"Daddy, that's impossible," she argued. "Zedd can never be good again. It is his curse."

"The Green Ranger has found a way. The gloriously evil ruler has fallen, Rita. He is gone. Only Xylon's pest of a boy remains. He is a powerful incubus, but no longer on our side. He's a traitor."

"Impossible! Father would never turn good!" Tanner argued as he heard this.

"See for yourself," her father said. That was when he showed them a vision of Zedd with Sage. Rita didn't recognize him. "This is what he looked like before," her father explained.

"Xylon was right," Rita mumbled. "Zedd was handsome." She could hardly believe what she was seeing. Sage led Zedd off of a property she recognized. Her breath caught in her chest. "The farm..." She whispered. That place had been Zordon's home. It had also been the place where she'd lost everything... Her good, her innocence, her love, and her sanity. She knew then that it was true... Her husband was gone. Zedd had been saved, and she was truly alone.

"That traitor!" Tanner shouted. "I will destroy him for this! Father is weak! He was never fit to rule!"

"We finally agree on something," her father said.

"I will destroy him and take his place." Tanner looked at Rita and said, "I can help you, Rita. We can seek revenge together and rule over the empire."

"Touch me and I shall castrate you... And when I do that, it doesn't grow back no matter how strong you are," Rita said firmly. She knew Tanner was pure evil. She also knew he wasn't above trying to force himself on her, but she could handle him. He might have all of Zedd's darkness, but he wasn't as strong as his father. That strength had gone to Taylor, who Rita hadn't minded having around nearly as much as she minded Tanner. The younger boy had never even considered trying to harm her. In fact, he actively avoided her. Rita also found him amusingly snarky, which had endeared him to her more than the other children. She was indifferent toward the girls, if a bit resentful of their existence because of who their mother was, and she hated Tanner, but she'd nearly tolerated Taylor.

"Respect me, Woman! It is I who shall inherit this empire!" Tanner shouted.

Rita laughed at him. "Keep telling yourself that, Tanner. It's good to have fantasies."

"How dare you? I am Tanner, Son of Lord Zedd, and his empire is now mine to command!"

"You're forgetting something, Little Boy. I am Rita Repulsa, the daughter of Master Vile, the infamous space witch, the Empress of Evil, and I possess more power in my pinky than you do in your entire being! I rule this empire, not you, and I decide whether you get to continue to exist in it! Do not push your luck!"

Her father laughed. "That's my girl!" He declared with pride.

Rita smiled, but inside, she was hurting. Zedd was gone. Sure, she'd hated him at first and she'd only married him to get her power back, but over the years, it had been nice to have a companion. She knew Zedd could never love her, but he'd grown genuinely fond of her, and although she didn't feel for him what she felt for Zordon, she had come to love Zedd. It was nice not to be alone in the world... Now that was gone, all because the Green Ranger had done the impossible.

Suddenly, she saw Sage in her head. "Ugh... What do you want?" Rita demanded. "Come to steal someone else's husband? Goldar, maybe?"

"Rita..." Sage began. "I didn't think about what saving Zedd would do to your marriage."

"Too late now. I guess I'm free!"

"I'm sorry, Rita... Really," Sage said.

Rita was surprised. "Why do you care?"

"You're evil, yeah, but just like Zedd, you weren't always. Unlike him, you still hold a little of that good, deep down... And you're Angie's mother. If you get hurt, that hurts her. So I want to help. I'm back in Angel Grove. Will you let me get you somewhere safe?"

"Nowhere is safe. He's everywhere..."

"You mean Zell?"

"Yes! And he'll find me now... Zedd kept me safe, but I have no one now..."

"You have your father. I sent him to protect you under very strict terms... If he violates them, he'll be destroyed."

"He's not enough... He's not at his full power. Zell will destroy him."

"Then let me hide you somewhere... Just for a little while."

Rita wasn't sure if this was a trap, but what did she have to lose? "Okay," she agreed. "For now."

THE NEXT MORNING.

ANGIE

She had never been so nervous in her life. Angie walked into Sage's house and saw a young man sitting on the couch. He looked as nervous as she felt, and she knew that somehow, this was her father. Although he was white, he shared a few striking features with Taylor.

"Angeline..." He said gently.

"Angie," she corrected him cautiously. "...Father."

"You can call me dad if you prefer it," he said, stunning her.

"Seriously?"

"Yes, Angie... If you want to, I'm okay with that."

Angie nodded. "So, I agreed to try to see you... But not alone." She motioned toward Thorn, who stood nearby, giving them just enough privacy to talk. The second her father tried anything, he'd be there.

"I don't blame you, Angie..." He sighed. "I am incredibly ashamed of the way I treated you... You have no idea how relieved I am that Taylor stopped me before it went even further."

Angie searched his eyes for a lie. There was no hint of one. "I grew up in foster care and group homes because you and Mom left me on the steps of an orphanage right after I was born. I don't even know for sure what my actual birthday is... On record, it's the day they found me, but the doctors said it could have been the day before."

"It's March sixth," he said, shocking her.

"What?"

"You were born on the sixth of March, sixteen years ago. You were lovely, really... You had all of Rita's best features... Beneath the makeup and that ridiculous hairstyle, your mother is actually quite beautiful. You look like her, but with softer features. The moment I placed you in her arms, she fell in love. I wish I could claim the same, but I was incapable of love... Still, I was quite impressed with you, and if I could have formed that sort of attachment, I would have. Instead, I just knew you were our salvation. Your older brother was an abomination. You, however, were incredible. I knew you were no mistake. I also knew you had to be sent to Earth if we were ever to escape. Your mother agreed, but not for the sake of our freedom... She wanted you to have a fighting chance, Angie... One you'd never have if you were stuck there with us. I sent you away to save us. Rita sent you away because she loved you that much."

Angie stared at him. "And now?" She asked. "Do you want me around now that I'm useless to you?"

"You could never be useless, Angie. I meant it when I said you were perfect... And I am incredibly proud of who you became in spite of having Rita and I as parents."

"You... You're proud of me? I betrayed you."

"And that took so much strength, Angie! You are remarkable. I understand if you never want anything to do with me... I don't deserve to have you in my life after what I did, but I want to make it right. I can finally feel, Angie, and I have nothing but love in my heart for you."

"Love?" She couldn't believe he'd said that word. He'd always acted like it was poisonous to him before.

"Yes, Angie. I love you. I love all of you... Well, except for Tanner. He's everything I hate... Everything my father was... Everything I was... Everything I never wanted to be. A true monster."

"You're not wrong." She looked at him. "It's hard for me to trust you... Growing up in the system meant I got hurt... A lot. And when Merkhet promised to reunite me with my parents, I wanted to believe you guys were just misunderstood... That you could save me... That you might actually love me... But then, you tried to... To..." She started to cry. Once she began, she couldn't stop. To her complete shock, her father pulled her into his arms. They didn't feel threatening. They were gentle and comforting, and Angie knew that this man and the one who'd tried to do horrible things to her were not the same person.

"I am so sorry, Angie... I couldn't care... I just felt rage... And I will never forgive myself for putting my own children through the same things my father put me through... But I love you, and if you need me, I am here. I swear to you..." He was sending soothing energy into her the same way Taylor tended to do.

Angie surprised herself when she willingly curled up on him. She allowed him to soothe her a bit more before she said, "You get one chance... Dad. That's it. If you show me you've really changed, we can be in each other's lives. If not... I'll hurt you in ways you didn't know I could."

"I believe that... And that's fair. Thank you, Angie. You have no idea what it means to me that you're giving me a second chance."

She nodded. "I should go," she said. "Thank you... For the hug."

"Anytime."

Angie left the house and headed home. She had no idea what would come of it, but for just this one moment, she finally had a father.

TAYLOR

He was sitting in the backyard with Winifred when Sage walked in. "Hey, Taylor," she said gently. "This is the last thing I expected to find you doing."

He shrugged. "I realized I was being unfair to her," Taylor replied.

"Maybe you should try riding her."

Taylor felt panic hit him. "No... No way. I'll pet her and feed her and all of that, but there's no way I'm riding her."

"You know she won't hurt you. What are you so afraid of?"

"If I were meant to be that high up, I'd have wings."

Sage looked surprised. "You're afraid of heights?"

"No... I just like having two feet on the ground."

"Taylor, it's nothing to be ashamed of. A lot of people are afraid of heights."

"Do a lot of people have that fear because they almost fell to their death when they were about two weeks old?"

"What happened?"

"I pissed my dad off... I don't even remember how... And he suspended me above this endless pit... My arms were bound above my head and I just dangled there for days... I was dying. My incubus side hadn't been fed, and I was weak, and I needed real food, too... And the ropes... The ropes almost gave..." He shuddered at the memory. He was violently trembling when Sage gently touched his arm.

"You're safe," she reminded him. "And the monster who did that to you is dead... Zedd's different now. He hates what he put you all through. He wants to make it right. I actually came here to try to explain that to Tye."

"I'm guessing she freaked."

"She started sucking her thumb and rocking. I backed off. She's confused... Your dad's supposed to be evil and cruel, but your mom was supposed to be good, and Tye can't understand how they switched roles... She thinks no one's good now. She needs time, but I think I can help her." She paused. "I'd heard you weren't talking."

"I wasn't... Not until I did something you won't like... But I had to. I can't freak out and break, or social services will take us away and I know what happened to Josh and Angie in the system... I refuse to be the reason it happens to anyone else in my family."

"What did you do?" He sighed and showed her his arm. "Oh, Taylor... You can't hurt yourself."

"I can't stop... It's the only thing that helps, Sage. I hurt all the time... But this makes it easier to deal with."

"I know you hurt, and I know you think this helps, but the pain comes back."

Taylor felt tears in his eyes and hated that he couldn't hide them. "I need help, Sage... I don't know how to do this."

"Then we'll get you help... Okay?"

"I think... I think I want to see my dad... Which is crazy and fucked-up, but he's the only one who might understand me..."

Sage gently took his hand. "Zedd wants to be here for you, Taylor. It's not crazy. You're still so new to existing... You need a parent, and that's okay. I can bring you to him if you want."

Taylor nodded. "Please," he said. He was scared, but he knew his father wouldn't hurt him. He'd shown him that much while he was still evil.

"Okay," Sage promised. "And I want you to try something... A team building exercise. We'll include the Rangers and the Chosen."

"I'm still not up to socializing much."

"This would be different... I want us to try a ropes course."

"What's that?"

"It involves heights... But it will help you conquer your fear, and you know none of us will let you fall."

"You want me to do something high up involving ropes? Sage, I can't. You know why."

"I know you can do this, Taylor. You just need to prove it to yourself."

He sighed. "Fine... For you."

"Come on. I'll bring you to see your father."

They headed to Sage's house, where his father was staying. Taylor stared in shock at his father. "Wow..." He mumbled. "You're a hell of a healer, Sage."

"Do you want me to stay?" Sage asked.

"No," Taylor said. "I know he won't hurt me."

Sage nodded and left them alone. "Taylor..." His father began.

"Don't," Taylor said. He looked into his father's eyes and asked the question he needed to ask. "Is it my fault?"

"No," his father replied firmly, somehow knowing what Taylor meant. "Not a single bit of this is your fault, Taylor. You didn't ask to be born."

Taylor nodded. He sighed and said, "I feel like it is... Like I screw things up... I hurt people."

"You hurt people to protect your mother and sisters. You hurt people because I made you... And I am so sorry, Taylor... I was especially cruel to you because..."

"Because I'm exactly like you?"

"No, my dear boy... You are so much better." He stepped closer to Taylor cautiously. When Taylor didn't run, he put a gentle hand on his back.

"I just wanted her to love me," Taylor whispered. He started to cry, unable to keep it in.

His father reacted by hugging him. Taylor's mind told him to stiffen or to run, but the hug was too comforting. He wasn't ashamed to cry in front of his father, and that was a first. Even when he cried in front of Josh, he hated himself for it.

"I am so sorry for everything I put you through... And for everything Aisha did to you... You didn't deserve any of it," his father said. Taylor was startled when a tear landed on his head and he realized his father was crying, too. Sage was right. This was not the monster who'd hurt him and everyone he cared about.

"Dad... I'm scared," Taylor admitted.

"Of me?" His father asked.

"Not as much as I should be, no... I'm scared of... Of this... All of it. Mom's dead... A maniac is after me and my friends just because we were born. I feel like I constantly have to prove I'm not evil... And I hurt... More than I can understand. Like, I had no idea it was possible to feel this shitty... I just want it to stop, and the only thing that stops it is this." He showed his father the cuts he'd made.

"Taylor..." His father sighed. "That's not a solution. You have to talk about what's going on in your head."

"To who? Who the hell would believe me or understand? And if they believed me, they might just be afraid of me... I don't want to be a monster... I'm just a teenager who was born a couple of months ago and nothing makes sense to me, but I'm trying... I'm trying really hard."

"You can talk to me," his father said almost shyly. "I owe you that... And I know your mother didn't love you, Taylor... But now that I'm me again, I do."

Taylor refused to admit how much hearing that meant to him. Instead, he asked, "If I talk to you, is it just between us?"

"Absolutely. I will be here for you if you let me. My father treated me as I used to treat all of you... But I refuse to be like him anymore. Please let me help. I understand you, Taylor. You and I share a bond I don't have with the others... You are my light."

"I'm your son."

"Yes... And you're also my hope, Taylor. From the moment you were born, I began to remember who I once was... And I firmly believe your existence is the only reason Sage was able to save me."

Taylor was suddenly exhausted. He let the last of his guard down, and the next thing he knew, he'd curled up on his father. He drifted off to sleep in his father's arms, finally releasing the last of what he'd been holding in.

BILLY

He got the phone call right after they finished dinner. "Sellie has been unbelievably helpful," Penny told him. "She pushed the paperwork through."

"Meaning what?" Billy asked. Penny had told him that coming back from the dead legally could take a few years. Sellie Klein, a hotshot lawyer that Sage had recently befriended and begun working with to help Liza with any and all legal issues, had offered to help. Sellie was known for never losing cases and she had so many connections she was able to get things done quickly.

"Meaning you're back, Billy!" Penny said excitedly. "You're alive!"

"Wait, so... So I can get custody of Josh back?"

"Yes. I've already got that paperwork in. You'll need to talk with social services, but as far as they know, you were kidnapped for three years and escaped, and you already passed the psychiatric evaluation I sent you for."

"They didn't question that?"

"It's Angel Grove. People get abducted by monsters every day. Lieutenant Stone backed up the claim, and your DNA proves you are who you say you are."

"And I can testify to free Bulk?"

"Absolutely. You can also buy a house or a car... You can drive a car... You're free to live your life, Billy. Congratulations!"

Billy thanked her before hanging up. "Dad? Is everything okay?" Josh asked.

"You look pale, Billy," Kimberly added with concern.

"Give me a break," Billy said. "I just came back from the dead."

Kimberly squealed and flung her arms around him. "It went through?" Josh asked.

"It went through," Billy confirmed.

"So... So you can file for custody?"

"My lawyer already did. And with both Penny and Sellie on our side, I'm confident custody will be restored to me."

Josh looked like he might cry. Billy pulled his son into his arms. "It's over, Josh," he promised. "We're going to be a family again."

He'd never felt so relieved before. Finally, he and Josh might actually be able to move forward with their lives. It was a step he'd been terrified they wouldn't be able to take.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sellie is a character I borrowed from my wrestling fanfiction. (The "evil corporation" she works for is actually the WWE, LOL.) On a related note, I would like to specifically mention that the character of Casey was introduced to me by my Muse, whose name on fanfiction.net is Aura Mackenzie. You should check out her fics. She also introduced me to a character who will be coming in soon, Lucy. I just wanted to give credit where credit is due and thank her for the constant inspiration. She was insanely awesome with helping me work out some of the details and plot points in this fic. Anyway, there's still more to come!


	24. Chapter Twenty-Four

VINNY

He still hadn't spoken. Vinny was afraid that if he tried, he'd start screaming and never stop. He went to therapy but never said a word. On occasion, he'd draw if the therapist insisted, but it didn't help. Nothing could help. His dad had tied him, his siblings, and his mother up. He'd held a gun on them before stabbing himself in the chest with a sword to kill the evil thing that was inside of him. Vinny had thought his dad was going to die, but he hadn't. Instead, the terrifying blue man had come in, shot his mom, and walked out like nothing had happened.

In under an hour, his entire world had shattered. His mom was dead. He'd been powerless to save her. Even though he knew his dad had been possessed, he was still afraid to be around him. It wasn't rational, but whenever he saw his dad, he remembered the way he'd steadily held the gun on his mom. He couldn't make it stop.

The nightmares were the hardest part. If Troy didn't stay with him at night, he just kept reliving the entire thing. The only comfort he found was in school. He liked school, and it was something he could focus on that didn't take him back to that night. His grades hadn't slipped and even though he no longer spoke in class, he was keeping up with all of his work.

That morning, Vinny noticed when Imani walked into class. She'd been out for a few days and he missed her. They'd become friends quickly. He might be a nerdy bookworm and a social outcast, but Imani was totally new to the country and didn't know anyone, so she'd immediately latched on to the one person she did know. Vinny didn't mind. Imani was a cheerful ball of light and she made him laugh and never made fun of him. When he'd stopped talking, Imani had continued talking to him like he wasn't becoming an even bigger freak. She went out of her way to make him smile. It helped, even if he couldn't bring himself to say that out loud.

Now, Imani looked different. She still smiled at him, but sadly. She sat beside him and took out her notebook, still looking much less cheerful than usual. Vinny reached his hand toward hers and gently touched it. He looked at her with concern.

"I know you lost your mom, Vinny," she said softly. She hadn't ever brought that up before. "I lost mine, too." She bit her lip, probably to keep from crying.

Vinny's heart broke for her. Imani was always so happy. She was the kind of person who made everyone around her happy, too. He hated seeing her so upset. "Sorry..." He said softly. It really hurt to talk. It felt foreign to him after so much time.

"You said something!" Imani cried in delight.

He hugged her and knew he'd done the right thing. One word had put a smile on her face. For the rest of the day, Vinny stayed close to Imani. He knew he was the only person there who understood what she was going through.

You said a word and didn't start screaming, he thought. Maybe it was time to start talking more, but he wasn't sure if he could handle that. For now, he was fine with just talking to Imani. She'd been there for him. He was determined to return the favor.

RITA

She had tried to let Sage help her. Unfortunately, she'd lost it and attacked the girl in under a day. Then she'd run off. Sage had been forced to banish her from the safe house and Rita had wandered the streets, incoherent and out of her mind. It happened sometimes. She still had flashbacks, some so vivid they turned into full-on hallucinations. Zedd had been used to that and had known how to bring her back, but Sage hadn't known what to do.

If Angeline hadn't found her wandering the streets, Zell probably would have. Thankfully, her daughter had taken care of her. She'd healed the injuries Rita couldn't explain and had stayed with her until she was calmer. Then, she'd walked her back to the place where all of the minions, Tanner, Merkhet, and her father were hiding out. Angeline hadn't gone in, but she'd made sure Rita was safe before leaving her.

Rita wasn't sure how many days ago that had been, but she was finally feeling like herself again. "Rita... You look better," Merkhet told her. "How do you feel?"

"Deliciously evil," Rita said with a smile.

"Good. Don't worry too much about Zedd. You're the one I need, and your father packs quite a punch himself. We can do this without that fool."

"What if he stands against us?"

"Then I'm counting on you to tell me what tricks are up his sleeve. If Zedd joins the Power Rangers, he dies, too."

Rita nodded. "Of course," she said, but inside, her mind was in turmoil. She should kill Zedd. The bastard had abandoned her! He'd turned good! He was disgusting and she needed to destroy him with everything she had... Yet she still cared about him... Could she really blame him for jumping at the chance to be free from his curse? Wouldn't she have done the exact same thing if given the chance?

"Rita? Did you hear what I just said?" Merkhet asked.

"No... Sorry... I have a headache," Rita replied.

"Then rest. You'll need your strength soon. The battle is coming... We've waited long enough."

"Right... Destroy the Power Rangers... Woo-hoo."

"You seem a bit distracted," Merkhet said with a frown.

"My husband left me for a toddler. An annoying toddler who stuck her nose in where it didn't belong. I am distracted... And furious. We will destroy them all." She meant that... Sort of. What did she care about the Power Rangers? They always got in her way and spoiled her fun, and one of them had stolen her husband away! She had to destroy them... She had to! There could be no losing this time! Rita was through playing games! She was so full of rage, she could feel nothing else! She'd kill them all! The Green Ranger... How dare she keep butting in? Her offer to help was clearly a trick! The White Ranger... Her kitty's little brat got in her way more than anyone! The Blue Ranger... He was too smart. He was a threat, just like his father! The Red Ranger... He was annoying and liked to mock her beautiful monsters! Wait, no... That had been the first Red Ranger... But the replacement needed to go on principle! The Black Ranger... He was still annoyingly cute and... Ugh... Happy. His boyfriend hadn't stayed dead, but maybe he would! The Yellow Ranger... She was too powerful now that she appeared to be learning magic. Rangers weren't supposed to do magic! That was Rita's thing. How dare she?! And the Goddamned Pink Ranger...

Rita paused. The Pink Ranger had saved her daughter from her brother after Zedd ordered him to attack her, and he hadn't even had any powers at the time. He'd replaced that strange musical device that made Angeline so happy... And when Rita's own childhood monster had taken her daughter and done unspeakable things to her, the Pink Ranger had put aside all of their issues and reached out to her in the hopes that she would be able to save Angeline. Time and time again, he'd saved Angeline, and it was difficult to think of a single reason to harm him.

He's a Power Ranger, her mind insisted. They all have to die. Every last one of them... And Zordon. You must destroy Zordon.

"No!" She shouted aloud, causing Merkhet to jump. "I won't!" She insisted. She knew now these thoughts were tainted... Because even when she'd sworn she wanted to destroy Zordon, she never meant it. She still loved him far too much for that.

"You won't what?" Merkhet asked.

"I won't do that... I won't... I won't..." She'd once used the same argument when Zell told her she was going to become evil, but she'd failed and that had come true. This couldn't. She couldn't kill Zordon... She'd never be able to live with that.

"Why is she screaming now?" Tanner demanded.

"She appears to be having an episode..." Merkhet said.

"Leave her. She'll stop eventually," her father said.

"Such wonderful parenting," Merkhet said dryly.

"No... No... I won't do it... Get out... Get out of my head!" Rita screamed. It was Zell. It had to be.

Tanner rolled his eyes and walked away. Her father left, too. Merkhet sighed. She walked away when nothing she did worked.

A while later, as Rita kept screaming, someone came in. "Rita... Oh, my dear Empress..." Finster said gently.

"Finster..." She registered aloud. She sniffled and realized she'd been crying.

"It's alright, Rita. You are safe now... Hush... Everything is alright now." He wrapped a blanket around her. Rita began to calm down as he continued speaking to her soothingly.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Of course, Empress." He handed her a potion. "For your nerves," he explained.

Rita downed it and began to relax. She took several deep breaths. "Better?" Finster asked.

"Much," Rita replied. "Come, Finster... We have plotting and scheming to get to."

JASON

The boys had agreed to let Troy bring them to visit. Ollie was the only one who still refused to have anything to do with him. He tried to respect that and give his oldest son the space he needed, but it was hard.

"Daddy, when can we come back?" Robby asked.

"Soon, I hope," Jason replied. He had hit rock bottom quickly. Zack and Tommy had taken turns beating his ass for being an idiot. Two days of binge drinking made him realize how badly he'd screwed up but he couldn't stop. Finally, Rocky had called him. He knew that after breaking his back in high school, Rocky had become dependent on pain killers. He'd been addicted for a few years before he'd finally gotten sober upon finding out Zeke's mother was pregnant and he'd stayed that way with the help of support groups. Rocky had insisted Jason go with him to a support group. It had helped, and Jason hadn't touched a drop of alcohol since, but he was still trying to repair the damage he'd done to everyone around him.

"I have a tournament this weekend," Luke said shyly. "Can you make it?"

Luke hadn't competed in a Martial Arts competition since Becky's death. "I'm there," Jason promised. "Just tell me when and where."

"Sunday at the Youth Center... Two o'clock."

"Great. I'm glad you're competing again, Luke. It's good for you."

"Troy signed me up... I know you aren't running your Dojo right now, but Adam let me enter under his."

"I needed some time... I'll open the school back up soon."

"It's cool, Dad. I get it." Luke smiled at him too brightly. He'd been keeping up a calm, cheerful exterior ever since Becky died, but Jason knew how deeply he must be hurting. Luke simply channeled his pain into taking care of everyone else around him.

"Vinny, are you hungry?" Jason asked. "You hardly ate anything."

"No," Vinny said.

Jason had expected a nod or a shake of his head at best. He stared at his son. "Holy... You talked! Finally!" Luke exclaimed.

"I thought he forgot how," Robby mumbled.

"It's good to hear your voice, Vin... Are you okay?" Jason asked gently, trying not to cry with relief that his son had finally spoken again.

"No," Vinny said softly, "but neither is Mani."

Jason understood then. Imani must have told him about Aisha. "Can I do anything to help?" He asked.

Vinny shrugged. He didn't speak again for the rest of the night, but Jason was thrilled he had spoken at all. It was progress.

When Troy came by to pick his sons up, Jason saw Ollie in his car. "How is he?" He asked.

"Still mad at you," Troy said. "You really hurt him, Jason. You broke something in him."

"I know... And I want to fix it, but I can't if he won't talk to me."

"It's got to be on his terms."

"Troy... I'm completely sober. I'm functional... And I miss the boys more than I can express. When are you going to let them come home?"

"When they're ready. Robby and Luke are pretty much there, but Vinny's still kind of afraid of you. Ollie probably won't be ready anytime soon."

Jason knew he had to accept that. Troy would keep the kids at David's until he was positive Jason had changed. Just keep working at it, he told himself. If he kept proving he was ready to be a good father again, Troy would see it eventually. He had to be patient. Troy had been right to take the boys. An out-of-control drunk who forgot his oldest son's birthday when he needed him the most did not deserve to have his kids. Jason had needed to get help. Now, he needed to prove it was working.

TIA

She was curled up in a ball on her bed when someone knocked on her door. Tia tried to hide the pain she was in as she called, "Come in."

Sage was the one who entered her room. "Hey, Tia... I just wanted to check on you," she said.

"I am fine," Tia lied. Another violent cramp hit and she struggled not to scream. You're losing too much blood, she told herself. You need a doctor. .. But then they'll know...

"Tia? What's wrong?" Sage asked in alarm.

"It is nothing... I... I will be... Fine..." Tia said while trying not to cry out in agony.

"Tia... You're bleeding. I know you healed from the battle with your mother, so what happened?"

Tia desperately wanted to lie, but she knew it was pointless as her sheets became soaked with more blood.

"I... I had a miscarriage this morning," Tia admitted.

"You were pregnant?" Sage asked in a horrified whisper.

"Yes," Tia replied. "Before we ever came here."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" Sage asked. She was already healing Tia, who was too weak to protest.

"It happened back home... When Mama went missing... I was alone in the house... Mani had gone to the village to visit the animals... And... And I do not know how he got inside of the house, but when I came out of the shower, he... He was waiting."

"Oh God, Tia... This wasn't a consensual thing, was it?"

"I am not that sort of girl, Sage. I had never... And I have not since."

"Who was he?"

"I don't know. He wasn't from the village or our town. I had never seen him before, but he was targeting me. I am certain it was not random... To get by the spells I had on the house took an incredible effort. A monster looking to do that with any random girl would have chosen another target." Tia shook as she remembered his face. "It was horrible... After he left, I was in terrible shape, but I healed myself and cleaned myself up... Mama was missing. Mani needed me. So I packed up what we needed and returned to the village, and I refused to let Mani return to that house. Then Tanya came, and we needed to find Mama... And we did, but she was different... I wanted to tell her what had happened... I needed her... But she was broken and so cold... And I knew she couldn't handle it. My siblings needed me... When Mani was born, we had just lost my father, and Mama was in a deep depression. It took her two years to come back from it, so for the first two years of Mani's life, I raised her. I did everything for her... My childhood ended when I was eight years old. I didn't mind. Taking care of Mama and Mani gave me a purpose... So when Mama broke again because of everything with Zedd, I just did it again... I took care of my siblings. I worked hard to hide the truth from them, which was difficult considering an incubus or succubus can read that sort of thing so easily on a person... Not even Taylor knows." She sighed. "I figured out I was pregnant a few weeks ago. I wanted to tell Mama, but there was never any chance... I realized she was gone... What we rescued was not my mother. So I hid the truth..."

"Tia, I am so sorry you dealt with all of that alone!" Sage said.

"I know it sounds crazy... But I wanted the baby... He or she was conceived for a reason, even if I couldn't understand it... What happened to me was horrible, but it wasn't the baby's fault..." She finally started to cry. "I'm sorry."

"You have no reason to apologize!"

"I do not cry... I do not fall apart. I have to be strong. Mani and the others need me."

"It's okay to break once in a while, Tia. You don't have to be strong around me... And I understand wanting your baby. I woke up in the past pregnant with no idea what happened to me. I still wanted Troy. When they took him away... It killed something in me."

Tia rested her head on Sage's shoulder. She knew she was physically healed. The emotional part would take longer. "I was shocked I didn't miscarry when she attacked me," Tia admitted. "Now that she is at rest, my adrenaline finally wore off, and that's when it happened..." She began crying again. Sage held her and it was extremely comforting.

"You aren't alone, Tia. I'm here for you," Sage promised.

"How did you know I needed help?" Tia asked.

"I didn't. I wanted to see if you were up to a team building exercise. It's for Taylor. I'm not telling anyone else this, but he's terrified of heights. To help him get over it, I want our teams to do a ropes course together. "

"I do not think I should."

"It might help... Being part of something. We're doing it tomorrow. Think about it?"

"I will consider it... I know I am healed... But I'm not sure I can handle being around everyone right now."

"I get it... But if you do come, I know it will mean a lot to Taylor. I won't force you, though. I guilt-tripped him into going to your mother's funeral for you and I broke him in the process... I'm not doing that to you."

"Thank you for that... May I decide tomorrow?"

"Yes. I already paid for everyone, so there's no need to worry about that. Just come if you're up to it... And I'm going to ask Uncle David to help you while you're asleep. A Shaman can help you process emotional trauma... But mine is too close to yours. David would be better."

Tia was a bit nervous to let a strange man into her dreams, but she trusted Sage. "Okay... Thank you."

"Anytime." Sage squeezed her hand before leaving. Tia prayed she would find a way to cope with everything sooner rather than later. There was a battle to be fought. She did not have the luxury of breaking.

THE NEXT DAY.

MADDIE

She was thrilled when Zeke showed up to the ropes course. "Does this mean you're back on the team?" She asked.

"No," Zeke said. "It means I want to hang out with my friends in a place that gives my hyperactive brain somewhere to release all that extra energy." He kissed her. "It sounded like fun."

Sage had gotten everyone to show up, although she hadn't shown up herself because she was exhausted from doing too much for Zedd and everyone else. Katie had dragged Jayden along, so he'd brought Dustin and Kira, too. All three were acting as mentors and trainers to everyone, so it made sense. All of the Mimic Force Rangers were there, too. Maddie stood between her two teams, not sure who she was supposed to be representing. Tia looked like she'd rather be anywhere else, but she stood with the Chosen dutifully. Taylor was visibly trembling as he watched everyone start to use the ropes. In spite of this, he allowed himself to be hooked up and he followed the others.

Maddie watched Troy's team with mild interest. She hadn't really gotten to know them overly well, and she was curious how they'd handle the course. Noah looked petrified, but he still did fairly well. Jake cursed at every obstacle he encountered, but he managed to keep going. Orion moved through the course quickly with a smile on his face. Emma surprised Maddie with how well she handled herself. She seemed to really be enjoying herself and she showed enough skill to make Maddie wonder if she'd written her off as useless and annoying too quickly. Troy had clearly done this before. He took the course like a master and guided some of the others through it when he noticed them struggling. Gia, however, was the best of the bunch. She raced through the course smoothly, not struggling in the slightest. Maddie was impressed.

Her team adjusted quickly. Zeke raced around like a madman and Maddie kept up with him. Thorn moved well, but kept looking back to check on Caleb who was new to this sort of thing. Thorn stopped a few times to wait for him and help him through it. Josh stood before each challenge and analyzed everything before completing the section. Kenny had no difficulty whatsoever. He might never have done a ropes course before, but he was used to being in the air because of gymnastics. He adapted easily. Katie had done ropes courses before and she took the opportunity to show off. Jayden watched her with mild amusement before throwing himself into the challenge. Kira and Dustin stayed close together and helped each other through the course.

Tia moved through each challenge on autopilot, like she was simply completing a To Do list. Angie was clearly nervous, but she got the hang of things fairly quickly. Ollie embraced the course fully and Maddie was proud of him for how well he was doing. Brian was a little spastic, but he managed to keep going even when he nearly fell. Tamira had a field day. This was the first time Zack had agreed to let her out of his sight and she was loving her freedom. She figured out how to navigate the ropes fairly quickly.

Taylor panicked a little more at every challenge. He kept forcing himself to continue. They were halfway through the course when he nearly fell. Taylor visibly panicked so everyone else noticed, too.

"Taylor, it's okay," Maddie said. "You're hooked up to a harness. You just have to shift."

Taylor started to hyperventilate. He stared at the ground with panicked eyes that clearly weren't seeing what everyone else was.

"Shit..." Kenny mumbled. "That's not just a panic attack... It's PTSD." Kenny was closer to Josh than anyone, so he was fantastic at spotting PTSD episodes.

"Taylor, you're safe," Josh promised from the next platform. "Everything's okay."

"No... I'm going to fall! I... I can't..." Taylor said. He was crying.

"Taylor, listen to me," Angie said urgently. "No one will let you fall. You need to shift, and then we can get you down from the platform."

"No... No, please... I... I can't!"

"You are perfectly safe," Tia insisted, speaking for the first time all day. "But we cannot get you down from the middle of the ropes."

Taylor stopped responding, but he was frantically struggling in the air. "We should get one of the guides... They can get him down safely," Jayden said practically. Maddie could tell he'd flipped the switch and morphed into Responsible Adult Jayden like he did anytime there was trouble.

"We can't leave him up there that long. He's going to faint if he keeps hyperventilating," Kenny said. He looked at where Taylor had gotten stuck and seemed to consider it for a moment. Then, he unhooked himself from his harness.

"Kenny, no! It's too dangerous," Katie said.

"I can do this, Katie," Kenny insisted. He carefully maneuvered himself onto the ropes and began moving in a way his harness would have prevented. "Taylor... I need you to hear me, okay? It's Kenny. Whatever you're seeing, it's in the past. You're completely safe, and I'm coming over to get you down, okay? Just breathe, Taylor... That's all you need to do... Breathe."

Maddie nearly had heart failure watching Kenny move along the ropes. He was definitely not on the safest track, but there was no other way to get to Taylor since he wouldn't shift himself back where he needed to be.

Kenny finally reached Taylor. He shifted and Maddie was positive he was going to fall, but he kept himself balanced. Finally, he grabbed Taylor and guided him back onto the course. He spoke to Taylor softly and although Maddie couldn't hear him, she could tell he was trying to calm him down. Slowly, with Kenny right behind him, Taylor began moving again. As soon as he got close to the platform, Josh grabbed him and pulled him to safety.

Kenny swung himself onto the platform and perfectly stuck the landing. Josh looked at him gratefully before looking at Taylor. "Are you okay?" Josh asked.

"Just get me the fuck down from here please..." Taylor mumbled. His embarrassment was clear.

"I've got him," Jayden said. He gently helped Taylor work his way down until both of his feet were on the ground.

"Sorry..." Taylor mumbled. "I didn't mean to freak out."

"You're obviously afraid of heights, Taylor. Everyone has something they're afraid of," Jayden said kindly. "You made it through half the course. You should be proud of yourself."

"Sage really wanted me to do this and I fucked it up."

"You did amazing, Taylor," Maddie called down to him. "Don't feel bad. Want to try again?"

"Um... I think I'm good for now..." Taylor said nervously.

Tia climbed down. "I can take you home," she said. "I think that was enough for today."

Taylor looked grateful. "Thanks," he said.

Josh climbed down just to say goodbye and check on him again. When Tia opened a portal and left with Taylor, everyone else resumed the course.

"You're amazing," Angie told Kenny. "Thank you for helping him... I was about to start casting spells, but your way probably resulted in a lot less questions."

"No problem," Kenny said.

"Dude, how did you do that without falling? You're like a fucking monkey!" Zeke said.

"Elite gymnastics," Kenny replied. "It actually does occasionally have real world applications."

"Sorry I doubted you," Katie said. "That was great."

They finished the course a little while later. Maddie had to admit the teams had bonded and morale seemed to be up.

We can do anything together, she thought. She just hoped that included taking on Rita, Merkhet, and especially Tanner.

Jayden's words to Taylor echoed in her mind. Everyone has something they're afraid of. She was still terrified of Tanner and she hated it. If Taylor can face his biggest fear, you can suck it up and face yours, too, she told herself. You've got this. She hoped that was the case, and she knew what she needed to do next. Zedd had offered to tell her Tanner's weaknesses. It was time she took him up on that.

TWO DAYS LATER.

MASTER VILE

It was time. They were ready, and he was looking forward to helping his daughter destroy the Power Rangers. Sure, he was just supposed to protect her, but surely that extended to destroying the pests who wanted to kill her. He was fairly certain the Green Ranger had been bluffing anyway. There was no way the child could destroy him. He was far more powerful, even if he wasn't at his full strength yet.

"Finster has assembled an army of his finest monsters," Merkhet informed him. "The Rangers will not know what to do with so many of them attacking at once. Rita is in high spirits and ready for battle... Will you be joining us?"

"Yes. It seems that with Xylon's useless boy switching sides, my path changed and I am destined to take part in this battle. I can step outside. I am no longer bound to this place," Vile informed her. He couldn't decide whether he liked or despised Merkhet. She was incredibly nice to look at and possessed a sadistic side he genuinely admired, but she also had an heir of superiority about her that irked him. If she wanted to view herself as better than the likes of Goldar and even Zedd, fine, but he was the biggest bad there was, aside from perhaps Dark Specter, and Rita and Rito were his children. She should respect them. How dare she think she was better than him or his bloodline?

"Come, Master Vile. It's time," Merkhet said. She called Virges before summoning the others.

Vile had to admit, Finster had gathered an impressive army. "You have done well, Finster!" He told him.

"Oh, Finster!" Rita cried in delight. "They're beautiful!"

"Only the best for you, my Empress," Finster said affectionately. Vile knew Finster had filled the role of nurturer that he himself had never embraced when it came to Rita. He didn't mind. He had more important things to do, like making her strong. Disciplining Rita harshly had been necessary on occasion, if only to help her grow. Seeing her now, ruling over an evil empire and heading into battle, he stood by his choices.

Scorpina looked anxious. "What troubles you, my dear?" Vile asked.

"Nothing, Master Vile," she replied quickly. She bowed to him respectfully before retreating to stand beside her husband.

"Let's go," Vile said. He was eager for battle.

"Just a moment," Rita said. "Tanner's gone on ahead to attack the Yellow Ranger and take her out of the game. As soon as we confirm he's found her, we'll move out."

Vile didn't want to wait, but he knew taking one of the Rangers out ahead of time would help them win this battle. He had to try to be patient... The bloodshed would come soon enough.

SCORPINA

She took Goldar aside while the others were busy. "My love... What's wrong?" Goldar asked.

"I don't think we should do this, Goldar," Scorpina replied softly, so no one could hear her.

"But Scorpina, this is what we have been waiting for!"

"I think it's a trap, my love... I do not trust Merkhet. I believe she is using us."

"Merkhet is our ally. She worked tirelessly to help free Rita and Lord Zedd."

"Did you ever ask yourself why? She had no reason to help them. She's quite powerful on her own."

"She told them she needs their help."

"With what?"

"With... Well, come to think of it, she never gave specifics..."

"Exactly! We can't trust her, Goldar. Her own mother doesn't trust her."

"Her mother?"

"Serqet, Goddess of Scorpions. She disowned her. Ask yourself what could be so horrible that a Demigoddess would get disowned for it and then ask yourself who, exactly, we are working with."

Goldar frowned. "She has Rita convinced she's on our side."

"I am loyal to our Empress. She is my friend and my family... But I think she has been deceived."

"Scorpina, we are about to head into battle with her. It's too late to pull out."

"We could run... Disappear together, never to be seen again."

"We can't just run. What about Rita? What about your brothers?"

Scorpina sighed. "I just found you, Goldar... We're finally reunited, and I fear if we follow Merkhet into battle, we shall perish. I am not prepared to lose you yet... And this world is not ideal, but if you are by my side, it won't be so bad... Perhaps we can convince Rita to join us? Surely if we all walk out on Merkhet she will not be able to stand against us."

Rita came toward them then. "What are you two doing?" She asked.

"Empress Rita, I think you should consider delaying your plans," Scorpina said. "We cannot trust our ally."

"Of course we can't. Merkhet is evil. She will betray us because that's what evil does, but first, she will help us," Rita said.

"We cannot count on that-"

"Enough, Scorpina! You're giving me a headache. I know what I'm doing. Our plan will work. Our army will not fail. I need her help."

"Rita, you can do this alone-"

"I lost Zedd! I need Merkhet! When facing the Power Rangers, we need as much help as we can get. That's the last I want to hear of it!" Rita stormed off.

"We'll run," Goldar said when she was gone. "I can do that for you, my love."

"No..." Scorpina said sadly. "Someone has to protect Rita. We have to stay."

He nodded. "I love you," he said.

"I love you, too," Scorpina replied. She kissed him and mentally prepared for battle.

MADDIE

She was walking through the park when she saw Tamira. She wasn't with Brian, but she also wasn't alone.

"Hello again," Tanner said to Tamira.

Tamira froze in place. "Leave me alone," she said sharply.

"My father's not here to protect you this time," Tanner said before grabbing the younger girl.

Maddie reacted without stopping to think. She grabbed Tanner and pulled him off of Tamira. "Don't you dare fucking touch her!" She shouted.

"Maddie!" Tamira cried in warning as Tanner tried to attack.

Maddie dodged the blow and screamed, "Tamira, run! Get help!"

"I won't leave you!"

"Go! I've got this!"

Tamira reluctantly ran. "Alone at last," Tanner said with an arrogant smirk. Maddie knew immediately that she'd walked right into a trap. She also knew her one advantage was that Tanner had no idea his father had given her inside information on how to fight him. As she avoided another attack, Maddie forced her mind to focus.

Years of Martial Arts training kicked in. Knowing now how Tanner's mind worked, she was able to anticipate his moves. She fought back, no longer afraid. Sure, Tanner had tried to hurt her, but she'd gotten away, and while yes, he'd gotten her power coin, she had it back. She had never let fear stop her before, and she was ready to be that person again.

It became clear pretty quickly that Tanner had no idea how to handle the sudden return of her courage. Maddie assaulted him at every turn, not allowing him to get a hit on her, meeting every attack with one of her own, and leaving no room for him to escape.

Tanner finally pulled out a very long, very pointy sword. "Nice sword," Maddie said cheerfully. "Is someone overcompensating?"

"Bitch!" Tanner screamed. Apparently, the evil incubus didn't like what she was insinuating. Zedd had stressed Tanner's arrogance and pride were his downfall. She could see just how true that was as Tanner grew sloppy.

Using every bit of her training, Maddie avoided the blade until she was able to grab Tanner's wrist. She snapped it back hard enough that he released the sword. Without hesitating, Maddie grabbed it and raised it up as she moved back. Tanner ran at her in a fit of blind rage and Maddie plunged the sword into his chest.

"Who's the bitch now?" She asked. His eyes rolled up and his body burst into flames. Only when she knew he was dead did Maddie stop to breathe. She'd done it. She'd slain her own monster, and she hadn't even morphed. Finally, Maddie was free.

RITA

She should have panicked that Tanner had failed so severely, but Rita was honestly relieved to be rid of him. "Fool..." Merkhet mumbled.

"I couldn't agree with you more," Rita said.

"We don't need him anyway," Merkhet said. "His arrogance would have gotten us all killed. Let us proceed with the plan."

The promise of this battle made Rita focus. She knew that, one way or another, this was the last time she'd be facing the Power Rangers. One side would not walk away, and she was determined to make sure it was her side that did.

KENNY

He was excited. Kenny was going to resume training with a new coach. This one wasn't abusive but did have an amazing reputation. Since it was his last day of complete freedom, he'd decided he wanted to hang out with Angie. They were walking by what should have been an abandoned building when they heard screams coming from inside.

Kenny immediately tensed, ready for battle. Angie's hands started sparking. "Let's check it out," he said. Angie nodded, and they headed toward the building. Inside were several terrified teenagers being attacked by a huge army of Putties. Kenny ducked behind a pillar and used his communicator. "Zordon, there are a bunch of teenagers under attack by Putties," he said. "It's just me and Angie here. I need backup."

"I will send the others immediately," Zordon promised.

"Putties? I've got this," Angie said. She set to work fighting off the minions. Kenny was impressed with how easily she took them down with both magic and physical combat.

"You're really getting good at fighting," he said.

"Caius is an excellent teacher," Angie replied as she took out another Putty. She looked at the teenagers. "I'll cover you! Go! Run!"

"I... I called you a freak..." One of the girls said.

"I am a freak," Angie replied as she cast a protective shield around the teenagers. "Go. The shield will protect you until you get out of here."

The teenagers fled as other monsters showed up. "Holy crap, that's a lot of monsters," Kenny mumbled.

"Um... Kenny?" Angie called.

"Yeah?"

"Don't you think that maybe it might be, you know... Morphin' Time?"

"Right. Good point." He focused. "It's Morphin' Time! Pterodactyl!" He morphed immediately as the team began teleporting in. They were already morphed. Katie went straight into battle while Sage began giving everyone instructions. Thorn took a moment to take in just how overwhelmingly outnumbered they were and cursed softly.

"Troy, call your team," Sage said. "We need the numbers."

Troy went for the Mighty Morphin communicator before realizing his mistake. "I can't access that communicator while morphed this way," he said. "I'll have to come out of it-"

"Forget that," Josh said. He used his communicator to say, "Zordon, we need Troy's team. We're severely outnumbered."

"What we are is screwed," Katie said. "Tell him to send Jayden, Kira, and Dustin while he's at it." She kicked a particularly terrifying monster in the head and knocked it down before destroying it.

Kenny knew she was right. Whatever this was, it was too big for them to handle alone.

ZEKE

He was surprised when he opened his front door to find a very frantic-looking Caleb standing outside. "Zeke, they're in trouble," he said.

"Who is?" Zeke asked.

"Your team... They're under attack."

Zeke frowned. "I don't have any powers, Caleb. Troy replaced me. He can handle this-"

"Zeke, listen to me... They're outnumbered. They've never faced this many monsters at once. They need you."

"Caleb, I'm not a Power Ranger anymore."

"Yes you are, and you're supposed to be there... Zeke, if we don't do something, Sage and Troy are going to get killed!"

Zeke paled. "That's impossible... Sage is... She's Sage."

"And if her son goes down, she'll do anything to protect him, including give her life... Zeke, please! I saw it."

Zeke knew now that there was no way he could take the chance that Caleb's vision might come true. "Where, Caleb? Where are they?" He asked.

"I don't know... But I can find it. Follow me."

"I can't bring you into a battlefield, Caleb. You could get hurt."

"Thorn's in there. That's his sister and nephew I saw die and his sister is literally the only reason I'm alive. I'm going, and there's no time to argue. Come on!" He led the way. Zeke raced after him, barely able to keep up. He knew this was one vision they had to prevent from coming true.

TROY

He had never seen so many monsters in his life. Even his team's ultimate battle had been easier than this, and they'd had a lot more help. The Rangers Zordon had sent hadn't arrived and Troy had a feeling the building was sealed against them.

He hadn't slept in days. He was exhausted, weak, and burned out from helping Vinny, trying to hold down the magic fort so his mom had less on her plate, and doing double duty as the Red Megaforce Ranger and the Red Mighty Morphin Ranger. Troy realized he had finally given too much when he began to see five of one monster who he was fairly certain hadn't cloned itself. He swung at one and hit only air, confirming his suspicion. That was when his vision fully blurred and everything went black. The last thing he heard was his mother screaming his name as he collapsed.

ZEKE

He saw the other Rangers outside of the warehouse. "We can't get in... Something's blocking us," Jayden said.

"It's blocking Power Rangers," Kira said. "What if it doesn't block Caleb?"

"We can't send Caleb in there alone," Jayden protested.

"I'll go," Zeke said.

"But-" Gia began to protest.

"I don't have a Power Coin. I'm not a Power Ranger."

"It's worth a try," Dustin said.

The others moved aside. Zeke and Caleb were both able to enter. They raced toward the sounds of battle. "Troy!" Sage screamed as they arrived. Zeke saw Troy hit the floor. He came out of his morph and Zeke realized he was unconscious.

"Get to Thorn," he told Caleb before running toward Troy. Zeke saw Baboo coming a second before he would have killed Troy. His instincts kicked in and he fought Baboo off. Baboo nearly got one fatal hit in on Troy, but Zeke kicked him in the chest so hard, he stumbled backward and impaled himself on a broken shelf that was attached to the wall. Baboo clutched his chest as blood poured out before falling forward, dead. Zeke stared at the monster in shock. He'd just killed one of Rita's top minions without any of his Ranger powers.

Sage finally reached him. "You saved my son's life," she said gratefully.

"I did, didn't I?" Zeke replied. He paused before saying, "Sage... If it's alright with you, I think I'd like my morpher and Power Coin back." He knew now that he was ready.

"It's about time," Sage said with a smile. She carefully took the morpher from Troy and gave it to Zeke.

"Protect your son," Zeke said. "I've got this." He took a deep breath before saying, "It's Morphin' Time! Tyrannosaurus!"

It felt damn good to be back. Zeke knew immediately he'd made the right decision. He saw Maddie surrounded by monsters and set to work to help her. Maddie nodded at him. "Thanks, Tr-" She paused. "Zeke? Is that you?"

"I've decided now is an excellent time to come out of retirement," he confirmed.

Maddie let out a cheer before saying casually, "So, I killed Tanner today."

Zeke hugged her quickly. "I'm proud of you," he said.

"I'm proud of both of us," Maddie replied before they stopped talking to face yet more monsters.

It really was good to be back... Zeke just hoped they'd make it out of this alive.

KATIE

She handled the monsters easily enough until she saw one who was especially challenging. "White Ranger, meet Scorpina!" Rita said with a wicked cackle. "Destroy her, Scorpina!"

"Good luck with that," Katie said. The two began to battle. She had to admit, Scorpina was a lot tougher than the other minions. Katie hit her with everything she had and it still wasn't enough. The bitch kept coming.

They matched each other blow-for-blow until Scorpina hit Katie with her weapon unexpectedly hard in the chest. Even morphed, it hurt like hell. Katie was stunned for a moment and Scorpina took advantage, attacking her from every angle she could. All Katie could do was try to dodge the blows. She was severely injured, and she knew it was worse than she'd even guessed when her morph failed.

"Shit..." Katie mumbled. What would Dad do? She began looking for any possible weakness in Scorpina. She didn't see one, so she tried to go for invisible vulnerabilities instead.

"Please..." Katie begged, faking fear. She was in trouble, but she knew she could do this. She was Tommy Oliver's daughter. She didn't know how to fail!

"Had enough yet? Let me end you," Scorpina said.

"Don't kill me... Please... I... I have to go buy my dress!"

"A dress?" Scorpina laughed as she came closer. "You humans and your stupid proms!"

"It's not for prom," Katie said, still whimpering.

"No? A dress for what, then, you foolish girl?" Scorpina mocked her.

"Your funeral," Katie said. In one swift motion, she grabbed Scorpina's weapon out of her hands and shoved it into her chest.

Scorpina screamed before looking at Katie almost pathetically. She looked toward Goldar and groaned out his name as she fell to the floor.

"Scorpina!" Goldar screamed as he raced toward her.

Katie stumbled back, still losing blood, and thought, If I die, at least I took that bitch with me. Then, she blacked out.

ANGIE

She spotted Squatt as he walked toward Baboo. "Baboo?" He called. "Baboo... Brother... Wake up... Why aren't you waking up?" The monster seemed genuinely confused and Angie realized he honestly didn't understand what had happened to Baboo.

Angie cautiously walked toward him. "Hi, Squatt," she said gently.

"Sorceress! How good to see you! Baboo, wake up! The Princess is here."

"Squatt... Baboo can't wake up."

"Why not? Is it a spell? Can you break it?"

"No, Squatt, it's not a spell... Baboo's gone."

"No he's not. He's right here."

Angie sighed. This was going to be harder than she'd hoped, but she had to do something. On his own, Squatt was harmless. He followed orders, but he was as innocent as a small child. She felt like she had to protect him, because with Baboo and Scorpina dead, he no longer had a family to watch out for him.

"Squatt, I want you to stay in this corner here, okay? Keep your back to the wall and don't move unless you're in physical danger. Do not attack any of the Power Rangers. Just stay safe and stay out of trouble until this is over. Play with your fidget spinner."

"But Empress Rita said-"

"I am your Princess, Squatt. When I give you an order, you listen, remember?"

"Yes, Sorceress." He bowed to her. Angie went back into battle and hoped Squatt would remain safe as things continued.

THORN

He knew Sage was in trouble. She was doing her best to defend her still-unconscious son, but she needed backup. Thorn ran to his twin's side, instantly going into Warrior Mode. Thorn might not be overly violent, but he'd trained in Martial Arts since before he could remember. One thing he could do in his sleep was battle.

An especially ugly monster attacked and Thorn was distracted until he heard Caleb cry out, "Get away from my boyfriend, you creep!" Thorn looked up as a sword cut through the air and a different monster lost his head.

He stared at Caleb in shock. "Nice!" Sage said with approval as she took the ugly monster down.

Caleb looked pretty shocked himself. "Are you guys okay?" He asked.

"Thanks to you!" Thorn said. He pulled Caleb into his arms and kissed him.

"I can't believe I just did that... But I guess, when you have something to fight for, anything's possible..."

"You saved our lives, Caleb," Sage said.

"You saved mine first," Caleb pointed out.

"Heads up," Thorn said. "We're not done yet." The battle continued.

MASTER VILE

He watched as the Power Rangers continued to fight. The spell he'd cast to keep the others out had worked until a boy who greatly resembled one of Zell's Chosen and the former Red Ranger got around his too-specific barrier. He hadn't expected the Red Ranger to resume his role. That had complicated things.

Vile saw his opportunity to finally take someone out when his granddaughter joined the Pink Ranger in an isolated corner. If it was just the two of them, he was certain he could destroy them. Even if Angeline survived, without the Pink Ranger corrupting her to be good, he could easily influence her to join them. She belonged with her family, after all. The child clearly had great power. She might be of use to him.

He began to raise his weapon, ready to attack them with a spell.

RITA

She saw Angeline and Kenny in a corner and realized they were in trouble. They were blissfully unaware of the true threat they faced as they fought off Putties. Kenny said something Rita couldn't hear that made Angeline laugh. Seeing the light in Angeline's eyes, something hit Rita hard.

"She's happy," she realized. Somehow, being good and being with the Pink Ranger had given Angeline the one thing Rita could never have... And her father was about to destroy all of that.

Rita jumped in front of Angeline and Kenny. "Mom? What are you doing?" Angeline asked.

Rita was already casting a protective spell as she deflected the attack her father sent. "My sweet daughter... Be good," Rita said, looking deeply into her eyes.

"What?" Angeline asked in confusion.

"Be good, Angeline. Be happy. Be with your Ranger... Just... Just do what your heart tells you to do. You are not evil, my girl... You are good, and I'm so proud of you... So go. Be happy. I love you." With that, Rita sealed Angeline and Kenny inside of a protective bubble. It would hold them safely trapped inside until Rita released them or was no longer able to maintain the spell.

"Mom! Mom, wait!" Angeline shouted, but Rita knew what she had to do. She marched over to her father.

"Rita, what do you think you're doing?" He demanded.

"Something I should have done a long time ago," Rita said. She attacked her father with her strongest spell. She knew it wouldn't destroy him, but it was only meant to provoke him.

If he goes against the contract, the Green Ranger's spell will stop him, she remembered. As her father attempted to send a deadly spell straight at her, Sage's contract broke and Rita felt the magic attack him. Her father screamed in agony.

Rita felt the explosion coming seconds before it happened. She'd known this was coming and she was at peace with her choice. Looking at her daughter and the boy she loved, safe because of her magic, she knew she'd made the right choice.

She was killed instantly.

Together with her father, Rita fell into darkness. It seemed to be endless. She watched as her father fell into what was surely the deepest part of the Underworld. She was quickly following right behind him until, suddenly, an arm grabbed her and stopped her descent. She stared in shock at her rescuer.

"Casey?" She asked.

"A long time ago, it was predicted that you could only be saved by a mother's love, Rita... And it was your love for your daughter that finally saved you from the darkness Zell forced upon you and restored your light. You're good, Rita. Your love for Angie purified your heart," Casey said.

"I... I'm not evil?"

"Not anymore."

"After all this time... I'm free?" She asked in wonder. She felt like a child again. She knew Casey spoke the truth. Her light had returned. She was pure again.

"What happens to me now?" Rita asked curiously. Truthfully, anything would be fine with her. She was free from evil! Nothing else mattered.

"Now, I'm going to help you heal, Rita, and become what you were always meant to be."

"Which is what, exactly?"

"You'll find out soon. For now, just rest, Rita. Rest and heal."

With that, Rita fell into a blissful sleep.

MERKHET

"Mom!" Angeline screamed frantically. The spell protecting her and the Pink Ranger shattered as Rita died.

Merkhet saw the signs of trouble coming. Purple spirals exploded from the Sorceress as she began losing control.

Rita and Vile were dead. Most of their monsters were, too. Baboo had perished. Scorpina had fallen as well. They were going to lose.

"We must flee," Merkhet said. She hurried to the few remaining minions. "Virges, follow me," she ordered. He didn't question her. She reached Finster next.

"Come with me," she said. "The Sorceress is going to bring down this building."

"I do not serve you!" Finster snapped. He looked at the spot where Rita had fallen sadly. "Understand one thing, Merkhet. I was here for Rita. I was loyal to Rita. You mean nothing to me and I shall not follow you."

Merkhet scowled at him. "Fine! Then perish, you old fool!" She walked away. Finster wasn't that important. Sure, he made monsters, but she could find ones who already existed to help her.

Goldar still knelt in a corner, clinging to Scorpina. It's a shame, Merkhet thought. Of all of them, she had the most potential. She'd genuinely believed Scorpina could make a wonderful minion and it bothered her to see her bloody and broken in her grieving husband's arms as he wept.

"Goldar... We must go," Merkhet said urgently. "There is no time. The Sorceress is going to bring this entire place down."

"I won't leave her!" Goldar cried defiantly.

"We can bring her with us," Merkhet blurted out. The logistics of carrying a dead body around while on the run were complicated, but she could see that her words pierced through his grief, so she continued. "We can give her a proper burial... She deserves that much. Then, together, we shall avenge her death."

Goldar hesitated for a moment as he looked at Scorpina's body. "Yes..." He said in the numb, cold way only someone with nothing left to lose could. "Yes, we will avenge you, my beloved... We will destroy them all." He stood, scooping Scorpina's body up in his arms and carrying her carefully.

Merkhet searched for any other survivors. Squatt sat in a corner, playing with his ridiculous fidget spinner, and she knew he would be of little use to her now. She decided not to bother trying to recruit him. Instead, she searched for any other signs of life from the team she'd entered with.

RITO

He had seen the explosion. At first, for a moment, Rito had been frozen in horror. Then, he'd rushed toward his father and sister, desperately hoping he could help. His father's body was practically destroyed, but Rita's remained somewhat intact. He knelt beside her and began to weep.

"Sis..." He whispered. "Don't do this to me, Sis... Please..."

Merkhet and Goldar joined him. He could see Scorpina's body in Goldar's arms. "Oh, no... Oh, wow, Goldar... I'm sorry," Rito managed to say.

"I will avenge her," Goldar said coldly. All emotion had been removed from his voice and Rito knew his sort-of friend was barely hanging on to his will to live by a thread.

"Rito, we must leave," Merkhet said. "The Sorceress is going to bring the building down. She's unstable in her grief. Come with us, and we shall avenge your father and sister."

"Avenge her? You want me to join you?" Rito asked in shock.

"Yes. We are all on the same side."

"My sister is dead! Running around fighting a war won't bring her back!"

"Rito-"

"No! You didn't give a damn about her! None of you did! But you know what? I do! She's my sister, and I'm loyal to her, but I'm not falling for your lies, Merkhet! You don't care that she's dead. You were using her. And I'm sure as hell not going to work for you. Ever. Now leave me alone and let me be with her."

"You imbecile! She's dead! What good will staying with her do? You'll die when Angeline brings this place down!"

"Then let me die. I'm not going with you."

"You can have your revenge-"

"I don't want revenge! I want my sister, and revenge won't bring her back, so fuck off and leave me alone!"

Merkhet looked highly offended, but she didn't attack him. Instead, she said, "Fine! Goldar's the only one of you worth a damn anyway!" She looked at Goldar and Virges and said, "Let's go." They fled before anyone could stop them.

Rito held Rita tighter. "I love you, Sis," he whispered. "I always will."

ANGIE

So many emotions flowed through her at once, she couldn't make sense of them. Grief, rage, and complete agony consumed her. Angie could feel her hands sparking as her magic got out of control. She could hear Kenny calling to her, but he sounded so far away...

She stared at the place where her mother had been. Seeing Rito weeping and holding her, she knew the worst was true... Her mother was dead. She'd sacrificed herself to save her and Kenny.

Magic continued pouring out of her. "Angie!" Kenny cried. "Angie, please, look at me!"

"Kenny, get back. She's lost control," Sage said urgently.

"She needs help!" Kenny argued.

"Angie, I know how you feel," Josh said. "Can you hear me? I've been exactly where you are... Please, please respond to us..."

She knew the building was starting to shake. She could see the ceiling beginning to collapse, but she couldn't stop it. She couldn't get control over herself as her grief continued to grow. Her mother was dead... She was gone... Angie had barely found her and now, she'd lost her forever...

"Kenny, Josh, get back..." Another voice said urgently.

"Zordon, she needs me," Kenny replied.

"She'll hurt you in this state, Kenny. I believe that I can help her," Zordon said. "Rangers, get outside if you can. Jayden, Katie needs medical attention. Get her to Alpha. Dustin, please do the same for Troy. The rest of you should get checked out as well. Leave me with Angie. I know how to deal with this."

She didn't know when Jayden and Dustin had come in, or if anyone else had joined them, but she assumed the spell keeping them out had broken when her grandfather died. She could feel Kenny, Josh, and everyone else getting further away. Her magic grew even more out of control. The walls were starting to crumble.

"Angie..." Zordon called in a gentle but urgent tone. "I know your grief, Angie. I know that is why you have lost control. You are in pain. You need help. Please, let me in."

She wanted to, but she couldn't do it. Her magic simply grew more intense. Zordon stepped through the whirlwind she'd created as objects that had been left behind in the warehouse began flying around. He finally reached her and grabbed her firmly.

"Angie, stop this," he said urgently. "You can do it. Just breathe. Listen to my voice and focus."

She tried. Some of the chaos subsided, but things were still bad and she knew the building could collapse any second.

"Angie... I know you loved her," he said. "I loved her, too."

It was only when something wet landed on her arm that Angie realized Zordon was crying. She looked up into his eyes in shock and suddenly, all of the emotion came flooding out of her in the form of tears instead of magic. She sobbed hysterically as Zordon held her. He gently stroked her hair and whispered soothing words to her until she calmed down slightly. Although she was still crying softly, she could breathe again.

"I am so sorry, Angie... I wish I could have saved her. You have no idea how hard I tried..." Zordon said. He was still crying slightly.

Angie saw the ceiling as it nearly collapsed on Rito. She stopped it and walked over to him. Most of the Rangers hadn't left yet, and Kenny raced toward her now. Those who were still in decent physical shape followed him.

"Are you going to kill me now?" Rito asked.

"No," Angie replied softly. "You refused to go with Merkhet... If you swear you're not going to work for evil anymore, maybe we can work something out."

"I don't want anything to do with any battle anymore," Rito said. She believed him. His grief was clear.

"Go. She would have wanted me to spare your life."

Rito hugged her mother's body a final time before kissing her forehead and walking away. Angie knew he wouldn't be a problem anymore.

Someone moved in the rubble. The Rangers spun toward the sound. Thorn, Zeke, and Maddie looked ready to destroy whoever it was. "Stop!" Angie cried. She rushed to the injured monster's side. "Finster... Oh, Finster, I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Shhhh, my dear," Finster said soothingly. "I will be fine. I have been hurt far worse than this."

"We need to stop him," Maddie said.

"No! Please... Finster won't hurt anyone," Angie said. "He's always been kind to me. Please don't hurt him."

Squatt called to her from the corner she'd stuck him in. "Can I come out yet, Princess Angeline?" He asked.

"Yes," she said. "Come here." Squatt joined them. Everyone looked nervous. "Squatt's harmless on his own," Angie insisted. "Please... Finster and Squatt don't have to die. They're not evil."

"Angie-" Josh began.

"It's alright, Josh. Allow me to handle this," Zordon said. He turned toward the two remaining monsters. "Finster... Squatt... I believe in Angie's judgement. If you vow to serve the side of Good, I shall allow you to leave this place unharmed."

"I lost everyone today," Finster said, "but Angeline remains. I am loyal to her, as I was to her family. If she serves good, so shall I."

"Squatt?" Zordon asked.

"Empress Rita told us we must serve the Princess, so that's what I'm doing," Squatt said simply.

"Very well. You two may leave now. Know that I am watching you, and if you break your word, there shall be consequences."

Squatt laughed awkwardly. Finster nodded at Zordon solemnly before saying, "Come along, Squatt. Let us find a new home."

When they walked away and were finally safe, Angie felt her exhaustion fully consume her. She leaned on Zordon. "Zordon... I can't go home yet," she said.

"You may stay with me, Angie. I would be happy to have you as long as you need," Zordon promised.

She nodded. "Kenny... Will you tell Tanya where I am?"

"Of course... I'm so sorry, Angie... If you need anything..." Kenny began.

"I know you're there." She kissed his cheek before walking away with Zordon. Only when they reached the Command Center did she speak again. "Thank you," she said.

"Of course," Zordon replied. "You are more than welcome here."

"Not for that," she said softly. "For loving her... I think you're the only other person who did." She sighed.

"Rita was the only girl I ever loved. She will always have my heart." He helped Angie settle into a room before tucking her in. After he left, Angie couldn't sleep in spite of her exhaustion. She lay there for a long time. After a while, she could just barely hear Zordon quietly sobbing down the hall.

TROY

He woke up confused. It took him a while to realize he was in his mother's room. She sat beside him, stroking his hair. "Hey..." She said softly. "Welcome back."

"Mom..." He registered. Then, he remembered. "Oh, God... I'm so sorry! Is everyone okay? Where are they?"

"Shhhh, honey... Relax," she said. "Everyone's okay, more or less... Katie's pretty banged up and she collapsed, but she's on the mend and should be fine. She took down Scorpina. Zeke took out Baboo because... Well, he tried to kill you. I gave him back his Power Coin, so you have nothing to worry about, alright? You're back to just being on one team."

"I'm sorry, Mom... I didn't mean to screw up... I can't believe I blacked out."

"It's not your fault, Troy. I was asking way too much of you, between helping with the magic side of things and being the Red Ranger on not one but two teams... You did incredibly. It's amazing you lasted as long as you did. And from now on, no more excessive magic. I'm back. Zedd healed me. I can handle it."

"Mom-"

"No. Your health is more important, alright? I'm not letting you end up like I almost did." She hugged him. "You've done so much already."

"Vinny needs me."

"I know... So you can keep helping him, but let me do the rest, okay? I love you, and I'd be the world's worst mother if I let you keep going like this."

He sighed. He wanted to protest, but he knew she didn't believe in herself as a mother yet. He didn't want to make that worse. "Okay, Mom," he said.

"I love you. Get some rest." She kissed his forehead and walked away.

TOMMY

He sat by Katie's side. "Hey, Punk," he said as she woke up.

"Dad... Did we win?" She asked.

He smiled. "Yeah... You did."

Katie grinned. "I knew we would."

"Baboo's dead, and you already know Scorpina is, of course... I'm impressed, by the way, Katie... I just wish you hadn't gotten so hurt."

"I'll be fine," Katie said with a shrug that visibly hurt her. "Who else is dead? Did the others get away?"

"Rita and Master Vile were destroyed... Rita used Sage's contract to take her father out."

"Wait, what? Why would she betray her father?"

"To protect Angie and Kenny... She saved them."

Katie blinked at him. "That's unexpected," she said.

"Seriously... Anyway, Squatt and Finster pledged their loyalty to Angie, and Zordon let them go. Angie spared Rito because, apparently, seeing Rita die destroyed any desire he had to hurt anyone. Merkhet, Virges, and Goldar escaped, but everyone else either switched sides or was killed."

"I missed a lot while unconscious... How's Angie holding up?"

"Not well. She nearly killed everyone because she lost control of her magic, but Zordon talked her down. She's staying with him tonight."

Katie paused before saying, "But everyone's okay? We all made it out?"

"Yeah. Troy needed to be healed, but he's fine. Everyone else only had minor injuries."

"Thank God... So we won... Where do you think Merkhet, Virges, and Goldar ran off to?"

"I have no idea, but I have a feeling this isn't the last we'll see of them." He shook his head. "Don't worry about tomorrow, Punk. Just be glad you survived today. Process that for a bit before you start stressing. I'm going to go get us some dinner."

Tommy walked away and tried not to focus on the extreme sense of dread he was feeling. Something was coming. This battle was far from over, and he had a feeling they'd be facing the next one very soon. The only thing he could do was make sure the Power Rangers were prepared for it.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Tommy's not wrong. I know this reads like an ending, but there's still more to the fic.


	25. Chapter Twenty-Five

MERKHET

She'd taken Virges and Goldar and fled to Egypt. Her home had changed significantly since her time there. It was torn apart by war, the temples and tombs had been raided, and the worshippers of the old Gods were few and far between, but the magic still filled the land for those who knew where to look.

"Home..." Virges mumbled happily. Merkhet knew how he felt. They'd been trapped in that prison for far too long and they hadn't been home in even longer.

Goldar clung to Scorpina's body silently. Merkhet actually felt sorry for him. She rarely felt compassion for anyone, but it was clear how much he'd loved his wife. Merkhet had loved someone once, too.

Unexpectedly, the flashback hit. Amun had been a handsome, kind soul, the son of one of her father, the Pharaoh's, slaves. He doted on Merkhet from the time they were children. Her father did not approve when he discovered the boy kissing her and he'd ordered him executed in front of her. He'd then married Merkhet himself, something that was not entirely uncommon back then. It was meant to keep the bloodlines pure.

Desperate to escape her hellish life, Merkhet had reached out to the Gods. As a demigoddess, she assumed her mother would answer her prayers, but instead, someone else appeared.

"I can give you what you desire, Merkhet," the terrifying, snake-like creature promised.

"Who are you?" She asked in a terrified whisper. This creature was too powerful and too dark. She had never seen anything like him before.

"My name is Apep, or Apophis to the Greeks. Your people never say it. They call me Chaos. You may call me that as well."

Merkhet was only fourteen, but she was a proper daughter of the Pharaoh, and she knew that speaking to Chaos or even speaking his name was expressly forbidden. She did not speak a single word.

"My child, do not fear," Chaos said. "I have not come to harm you. I find you have great power within you, Merkhet. I believe you will be of use to me. I will give you anything you desire, but you must agree to fight at my side."

"No. I cannot. It is against Ra."

"Indeed, it is. But tell me, Merkhet... What has serving Ra done for you? Where has your loyalty gotten you? Did Ra even attempt to save your love? Did Ra attempt to save you? Who stands here now, answering your prayers? Certainly not Ra. I shall leave if that is what you desire... But my offer stands. Call on me when you are ready."

He had vanished after that. Later that day, her father had treated her as his wife and she'd known she could no longer bear to continue this way. As he took what he wanted, Merkhet had softly whispered, "Help me."

Seconds later, her father had been torn off of her. Chaos stood in all his glory. He brutally tore her father apart. Then, he'd made her promise to serve him in exchange for any one thing she desired. Merkhet had begged him to bring Amun back. He'd done it, but the boy she loved was pure light, and she had agreed to serve Chaos forever. It was not only forbidden... It was the greatest sin anyone could commit. Amun could not love her now, and as her heart turned cold from her bond to Chaos, she could not love him either. Merkhet let her love go before her choice could destroy them both. He'd gone on to live a long life, faithfully serving the next Pharaoh. Merkhet, on the other hand, began wreaking havoc. Eventually, the powers of Good had found a way to trap her and her only surviving minion, Virges, inside of a magical prison that had imprisoned them for longer than she cared to think about.

"Mistress?" Virges called to her. "Are you okay?"

Merkhet shook off the memories. "Goldar... This is the location of a hidden temple to my mother. Her favorite priestesses were entombed here. I believe She will allow you to bury Scorpina inside. It is a great honor," she said.

Goldar nodded numbly. "Let's go," he replied.

"I cannot join you... My mother banished me. If I set foot in there, she will strike me down." Her mother was one of the many deities devoted to fighting by Ra's side and stopping Chaos. Merkhet's choice had been the ultimate betrayal to Her.

Goldar went on alone as Merkhet sighed. "Virges, leave me for a moment. There is something I must do," she said. Virges obediently left. Merkhet cursed before saying, "Zell, I desire a word with you." She knew this was a risk. Chaos had created Zell, a fact he regretted deeply, as he could not control him. Working with Zell was forbidden by Chaos, but it was also the only choice she had left if she hoped to defeat the Power Rangers for Chaos.

"Hello, my dear," Zell said from behind her. To her credit, she did not jump. Instead, she slowly turned around.

"I require your assistance," she admitted. Just saying the words made her feel dirty.

"Of course. I heard about poor Rita and Master Vile. Such an unfortunate turn of events."

"Will you help me or not?" Merkhet asked sharply.

"I shall set the new faction of villains in motion. Fear not, my dear. You may win this battle yet." With that, he vanished, and Merkhet prayed she hadn't made a very big mistake.

GOLDAR

He carried Scorpina into the temple carefully. When he finally found the room with the altar to Serqet, he knew he was in the right place. He knelt before the statue and said humbly, "Great Serqet, I come requesting that You accept my beloved wife Scorpina into Your arms. She was loyal to You, and she worked closely with scorpions. Please, dear Goddess, protect her now as I could not." He felt tears in his eyes. This was all his fault. If he'd just agreed to run when she first suggested it, she would still be alive.

A light began to glow at the statue's feet. Goldar knew Serqet had agreed. He gently laid Scorpina down. "I am so sorry, my love..." He whispered. He kissed her lips before weeping over her a final time. When he released her, he said, "You will be avenged, my beloved. This, I vow!"

It was the hardest thing in the world to leave her, but he did it. He walked away filled only with the need to destroy the Power Rangers and anyone else who got in his way.

DIVATOX

She jumped and let out an undignified shriek as Zell appeared. "Oh! Zell... My... It has been a while," she said.

"Divatox, you look lovely as always," Zell said.

"Thank you... Well, this has been great, but-"

"My dear, I require your assistance."

"Me? What could you possibly need from me? I'm just your run-of-the-mill space pirate..."

"And I know that, in an act of said piracy, you discovered the remains of the Machine Empire. I also know that you have been working on rebuilding them. However, you need assistance... A final spark of life to give them the power they need to return... And I know how to get it for you."

She decided denying her plan was pointless. "Alright. I'll bite. What is it?"

"Venjix."

"What the heck is Venjix?"

"It is a virus from another realm. It comes from a place called Corinth, and although they defeated it, Venjix actually survived. It lives now in the Red Ranger's morpher in that world. I can send someone to retrieve it. With Venjix on their side, the Machine Empire will be unstoppable, and so will you, as their leader."

"What do you want in return?"

"I need the Power Rangers distracted. You and your minions can keep them busy. I want you to join forces with Merkhet and Goldar, and ultimately with Dark Specter. Together, you shall form an unstoppable alliance."

"Unstoppable sounds delightful... What's the catch?"

"No catch, my dear. This is simply a mutually beneficial business deal."

Divatox considered this. What was the harm, right? "Alright, deal. Get me Venjix and I'll keep the Power Brats busy... That's right, Baby! Divatox is back!"

JUSTIN

Okay, so maybe Justin wasn't living a typical life. Justin rarely left the house unless he really needed to go to the store or if his kid needed to go to a doctor. He was perfectly content surrounded by his technology. He worked from home, ordered everything he needed online, and only really socialized with his son, who'd been left on his doorstep with a note saying he was his. Somehow, this turned out to be verified by a DNA test, even though Justin never engaged in the sort of activity that would produce a kid. He hadn't since... Well, he didn't like to think about that.

The sound of an alert went off and Justin tensed. "It's probably nothing," he said aloud. He had special technology all around Angel Grove that existed for exactly one reason... To detect a very specific group of monsters. The tech hadn't been set off since he was a kid, but he'd been reluctant to deactivate it, just in case.

Back when he was eleven, the Blue Zeo Ranger, Rocky, had broken his back. Justin was attached to Rocky, so he'd snuck into his hospital room to check on him and hidden under his bed when someone else had come in. Unknown to them, he'd been watching when they received a call from Zordon and teleported away. Justin had crawled out from beneath the bed and been discovered by Rocky who, in a painkiller-induced state, had decided to send Justin to be his replacement. Justin had become part of the team as they went from Zeo to Turbo. At the time, it was literally the coolest thing in the world to be a Power Ranger, even if he was significantly younger than the rest of the team. In the long-run, however, it had severely scarred him for life. Justin currently suffered from debilitating PTSD, severe agoraphobia, extreme anxiety, a bit of OCD, and he had no idea how to interact with "normal" people anymore.

It didn't help that for his entire tenure as a Power Ranger, his father had abandoned him to handle business issues after his mom died. Justin was a literal genius and he had trouble interacting with kids his own age, so he naturally latched on to the older teens in his life. With no parents present to protect him, he'd been easy prey for Katherine Hillard. Sure, Kat had been awesome at first, but when she began taking advantage of him and convincing him to do things with her no kid should be doing, no one had realized he was in trouble. Justin had been too scared to tell anyone. He idolized Tommy, Kat's boyfriend, and he was positive he'd hate him for what he'd done. Years of therapy had finally made Justin realize that, at twelve, he couldn't have consented. Still, he had kept his history a secret and had simply avoided ever seeing Kat again. He left Angel Grove to go to college and he stayed a few towns away afterward, refusing to go back there.

"It's nothing... A malfunction," he told himself again as he looked at the alert. As he read the code, his jaw dropped. "Impossible!" He said. He hacked into one of the surveillance cameras in Angel Grove and watched in horror as several familiar creatures attacked.

"Piranhatrons?" He shook his head. There was no denying what the ugly, smelly creatures on his screen were. He sighed, then picked up his phone. Justin rarely called anyone, but there were three exceptions. One was his father. The other two were old friends, and he dialed one now.

"Hello?" He answered.

"How fast can you get to Angel Grove, Teej?" Justin asked.

"If it's urgent, I can make it in about an hour. Why? What's up, Justin?" TJ asked.

"The kids are in trouble... Tommy's daughter and all of them. There are Pirahnatrons in Angel Grove. I think Divatox is back. They won't know how to handle her, Teej."

"Pirahnatrons? Divatox? Are you sure, Justin?" TJ asked skeptically.

Justin couldn't really blame him. TJ knew how bad his mental health was even on a good day. "This isn't a paranoia episode or PTSD, TJ. I can see them on the surveillance cameras."

TJ cursed. "How the hell?" He asked. "We took Divatox out... Really, Andros took her out. She hasn't been seen since Astronema became Karone again."

"I haven't seen her, but how else do you explain Pirahnatrons?"

"You're right... I'm on it. Call Cassie and tell her what's going on. I'll figure out how bad it is and call her if I need backup."

Cassie was the only other person from Angel Grove that Justin still talked to. She and TJ tried to check on him fairly often. "Will do. Hurry, Teej... And be careful."

"I can handle Piranhatrons. Don't worry. Just stay safe, Justin."

"I will." They hung up and Justin took several deep breaths. "You're okay," he told himself. "Everything is fine. Breathe... Just breathe, Justin..."

"Dad? Are you okay?" His son asked.

"Jared..." He said. Justin quickly turned off the monitor with the surveillance. He'd be damned if he let his son see what monsters were capable of. He'd done everything in his power to protect him from trauma. He even homeschooled him, although he had enrolled him in several activities so he could socialize with kids his own age. Justin had a car service take Jared to and from them a few times a week. Jared was really great at karate and also enjoyed other sports. Aside from his extreme intelligence, he was a remarkably normal kid. Although Justin's father had gotten into several fights with him because he believed his mental health issues made him a bad father, Justin knew he was, at the very least, doing a better job than his father had done with him. He was there. His son never questioned if he was loved.

Jared passed his father a glass of water. "Breathe, Dad... Do you need your Xanax?" He asked.

"No," Justin said. He drank a little of the water before taking another deep breath. "I'm okay, Jared. Thanks." He hugged his son, fully aware of how lucky he was to have a kid like him. Jared was eleven now, and that terrified Justin. What if his world flipped upside-down like Justin's had? I'll never let that happen, he vowed. His son would not grow up too fast. He wouldn't be asked to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders, or save a town from bad guys. His biggest issues would be homework, karate tournaments, and puberty, not monsters and people who preyed on the innocent.

ZEDD

He had never expected Rita's death to hurt so much. Zedd had felt like a piece of him had been torn out. He locked himself in his room and refused to come out as he started to cry. When he decided he was sick of crying, he'd started destroying his room. He knew he could fix it all with magic later, but currently, blowing things up was making him feel better.

The knock on his door surprised him. He expected to see Sage. Instead, he saw the last person he'd expected.

"Zordon?" He asked.

"Oh, Zedd..." Zordon shook his head at the sight of the destruction. "Sage pointed out to me that you might need someone to check in on you."

"Why would you come? You must hate me..." He hadn't faced Zordon since Sage had saved him.

"No, Zedd... I could never hate you." Zordon sighed. "I hate my father and I hate that I failed you... And Rita."

"You didn't fail us. Zell did. You were fifteen, Zordon... And you killed the bastard."

"Not soon enough... And he's back."

"But for a very long time, he was gone." Zedd hesitated. "I'm so sorry, Zordon... For all of it."

"I accept your apology. It was out of your control."

"I made a choice."

"To save Xia, Zedd... And you wouldn't have been you if you had chosen to damn her to the alternative fate." Zordon touched his back gently. "I forgive you, Zedd."

Zedd felt another tear escape, but managed not to actively start crying again. "I wish I could forgive myself so easily," he admitted.

"I understand that. I've never forgiven myself for the things my father did to all of you... Especially to you and Rita."

"That wasn't your fault."

"Just as it was not your fault what you became. He manipulated you. It is what he does. So how about we agree to this? I will try to forgive myself if you do the same."

"I'm willing to try if you are..."

"Good..." Zordon squeezed Zedd's shoulder. "Now, Brother, let me help you clean up this mess."

Zedd did start crying again then. "You would still call me brother? After everything I've done?"

"You will always be my brother, Zedd. Always."

Without another word, they began picking up everything Zedd had broken and putting it back together again.

ZEKE

He was walking Maddie home when they heard trouble. They raced toward the sound of chaos, but hesitated when they saw the source. "What are those things?" Maddie asked.

"I don't know, but man, they reek!" Zeke replied. The creatures smelled absolutely disgusting.

An even stranger creature appeared. It had a pointy head and big eyes. "Morphin' Time?" Maddie asked.

"Totally," Zeke agreed. They morphed quickly and began fighting off the strange new creatures.

"They look familiar, like I've seen them in the archives, but... I'm not sure," Maddie said.

"Where's Encyclopedia Joshtanika when we need him?" Zeke asked.

"Maybe we should call for backup?"

"Other than Mr. Pointy Head, these things seem like Putties... Just uglier and a lot more smelly. Do we really need backup?"

"I'm not sure."

They were doing pretty well until the guy with the pointy head grabbed Zeke around the throat. "Zeke!" Maddie screamed as the smelly non-Putties continued to attack her.

A woman cackled from the shadows. Slowly and rather grandly, she made her overdramatic entrance. "This is what passes for a Power Ranger these days?" She demanded. "Pathetic!"

"We're pathetic?" Zeke asked. "The 1980s called. They want their shoulder pads back."

The woman glared at him. "Elgar, bring that lippy one to me!"

The pointy-headed guy released him. The woman went to grab him. That's when someone else showed up. "Back off the kids, Divatox!" He declared.

"TJ? Ugh! Aren't you dead yet?" Divatox asked. She paused, then laughed and said, "Oh, wait... That was Carlos."

TJ flipped the switch into rage immediately. He ran at Divatox and nearly took her head off. "Ooooh, so hostile!" Divatox said with a laugh as she sacrificed a smelly non-Putty to take the blow instead. "What's the matter, TJ? Too soon?"

"Who's Carlos?" Maddie asked Zeke in a whisper.

"Adam mentioned a friend who died a couple of months ago to my dad... He was pretty upset about it. I think his name was Carlos," Zeke replied.

Suddenly, Divatox pulled out what was clearly a bomb. "Look out!" Zeke screamed.

TJ looked at the device. "Don't worry about that," he said.

"Dude, it's a bomb! They explode. Boom is bad," Zeke pointed out.

"Trust me." TJ looked at the device and laughed. "Yup. Just like I thought... You still haven't learned to set the timers for logical amounts of time."

Zeke realized the timer was set for nearly sixty minutes. He didn't have time to dwell on the stupidity of that as more smelly non-Putties attacked.

"What are these things?" He asked.

"Piranhatrons," TJ replied. "Just keep kicking them. You guys can handle them. Really, they're mindless idiots."

Zeke decided that really did just make them smelly Putties. He and Maddie resumed fighting them off. It was going pretty well until Divatox hit TJ with a serious blow that knocked him through the air.

"Man, I miss morphin'..." TJ groaned out.

"Watch out!" Maddie shrieked as Elgar came toward TJ with a weapon that fired off some sort of blast.

Suddenly, the weapon was kicked aside and someone started kicking Elgar's ass. "Ugh! Not you, too," Divatox said with irritation.

"Cassie!" TJ said with relief.

"Did you think I was going to let you have all the fun?" The newest person asked with a snarky smile. She reached toward TJ and helped him up. Together, they immediately went into a well-practiced, perfectly in-sync fight stance. Zeke knew that, whoever they were, they were a team and had been for a very long time.

"We'll see you soon," Divatox promised. "Tell everyone that Divatox is back!" She added grandly before taking Elgar and the remaining Piranhatrons and running.

"Who the heck are you guys?" Zeke asked TJ and Cassie as he came out of his morph. Maddie followed suit.

"TJ," TJ replied. "I was the second Red Turbo Ranger and the Blue Astro, or Space, Ranger. That's Cassie."

"Pink. Both times," Cassie said, shaking Zeke and Maddie's hands. "Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah," Maddie said. "Thanks for the assist."

"No problem. Tommy tells us you deal mostly with the Mighty Morphin' villains. When my boy Justin realized Divatox was in town, he sent me to help," TJ said.

"Who's Justin?" Zeke asked.

"Big Red... You're Rocky's kid, right? You should know who Justin is."

"My name's Zeke, and my dad didn't exactly tell me about all of this until recently."

"Justin replaced your dad as the Blue Ranger when the team went from Zeo Rangers to Turbo Rangers," Cassie explained.

"He just told me he broke his back and had to quit the team."

"Yeah, and because Justin was hiding under his bed, he found out who your dad really was."

"Hiding under his bed? Who is this guy, the boogeyman?"

"He was only eleven at the time," TJ explained.

"Wait... My dad replaced himself with a little kid? How is that kosher?"

"Zordon approved of the choice, and Justin was a damn good Ranger. He had more heart than any of us."

"So why isn't he here? And hi. I'm Maddie," Maddie said. "I'm Tanya's daughter."

"Justin has... Issues," Cassie said. "He doesn't get out much... But TJ and I are always up for fighting the good fight."

"Damn right. Once a Ranger, always a Ranger," TJ said. "Come on, guys. We'll explain more while I give you a ride home... Oh, and..." He picked up the still-ticking bomb and quickly disabled it. "Let's not forget about that. Now we can go."

Zeke looked at Maddie and shrugged. "I know we're not supposed to get in cars with strangers, but they're obviously telling the truth," he said.

"Right," Maddie said. Together, they got in the car and Zeke tried not to overthink how strange all of this was.

ONE WEEK LATER.

KIRA

Although she wasn't obsessed with traditions, Kira had to admit that she got lonely on the holidays. Doc O took care of that, however, by insisting she come over for Christmas. She was on her way when she saw something odd in the street. A young girl was frantically struggling against something invisible.

"Um... Hi. Are you okay?" Kira asked her.

The girl looked startled. "They're mad," she said. "They're punishing me for weird stuff happening... I can't help it."

"Who's mad?"

"The people where I am."

"Are you not... Um... Here?"

"No... Maybe... I don't know."

"Okay. I'm Kira. What's your name?"

"Lucy."

"How old are you?"

"I'm eleven."

Kira realized Lucy bore a striking resemblance to Jason's son Luke, who was also eleven, and the wheels began turning in her mind. It's too weird, she told herself, but at the same time, the kid obviously had magic like Jason's sons. She didn't look like Jason, but neither did Luke. His light blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin made him stand out among Jason's sons because he was the only one who looked like Becky... And this little girl looked alarmingly like Becky.

As if the Universe planned it, Ollie came by on his skateboard. Kira knew that when his brothers had gone home earlier in the week, Ollie had refused. Instead, he'd moved in with Zack and Tamira on Tamira's fourteenth birthday four days earlier. They were living in Tommy's guest house with Trini and Brian, and Ollie had decided their couch was better than living with his father. "Hi, Kira," he said. "Who's this?"

"Good. You can see her, too," Kira said. "This is Lucy... Ollie, can you stay with her for a second?"

"Yeah, okay, sure," Ollie said with confusion.

Kira walked slightly away and pulled out her phone. "Jason, it's Kira," she said.

"Hey, Kira, what's up?" Jason asked.

"Listen, I have to ask you something personal... But please answer honestly. It's important."

He paused. "Okay," he said cautiously.

"Was Luke supposed to be a single birth?"

Jason was silent. Finally, he asked, "Why would you ask me that?"

"Please just answer me."

"No... Luke was a twin. His sister... His sister was stillborn." Jason sounded broken and Kira hated that she'd had to upset him.

"Jason... Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! Becky and I wanted a daughter so badly... It's part of why finding out about Maddie was so incredible for me. I thought I'd lost my only little girl..." He sighed again. "What the hell brought this up, Kira?"

"I may have stumbled across something... Let me call you back." She hung up before he could protest.

Lucy had vanished. "What happened?" Kira asked.

"She flew into a seizure or something... And then she disappeared," Ollie said.

"Ollie, this is going to sound nuts, but I think that girl is your sister."

Ollie didn't protest like she expected. "The blanket," he mumbled.

"What blanket?"

"Mom knit us all baby blankets... They had our names on them. A few years ago, I found one in the attic with the name Lucy on it... My parents refused to talk about it, but they admitted Luke had a twin, and I vaguely remembered there were supposed to be two babies..." He frowned. "How is this possible?"

"I don't know... But she's in trouble."

"I can find her."

"Ollie-"

"Look, I was debating going home... Dad found these gifts mom picked out for us and gave them to my brothers and Vinny freaked out and locked himself in his room and Luke is having a meltdown trying to be in charge because I'm not there... He needs me. But if we have a sister out there... She needs me, too. I can follow her energy. If there are shadows in the room, I think I can get to her."

"Have you ever traveled that far before?"

"Not intentionally... But I know I can. I've got really good control of the shadow walking now. I can do this, but I can't go home first... Dad would never let me try something so dangerous."

Kira wanted to protest, but she knew Ollie was Lucy's best chance. They had to rescue her. They could figure the rest out later.

LUKE

He was a mess. He might excel at pretending everything was fine, but on the inside, Luke was dying. His mom was gone, his dad was barely holding on, Troy had been forced to stop taking care of them, Ollie had refused to go home, and his dad had just given them the last presents their mom would ever get them. There was only so much that an eleven-year-old could take, but he was doing his best. He'd protected Robby that night, but he wished he could have spared Vinny, too. He did everything he could now to make sure his brothers were okay. He'd learned to cook. He obsessively cleaned the house so it looked perfect even if the rest of their lives were a mess... But this was pushing him past his breaking point.

"Merry Christmas, Mom," he whispered as he cradled the present in his arms that he'd bought for her before everything had changed. He cried over it silently, in the safe privacy of his room, and tried to calm down.

Suddenly, he felt her... A girl, reaching out, terrified... He'd started randomly feeling her after his mother died, but he kept telling himself he was crazy. Now, however, he knew she really needed help. Without realizing he was doing it, Luke opened a door.

That was his strongest power... Luke could open doors. It was why Zedd had wanted his help. It was something Sage kept working with him on, but Luke had no real control over the gift. Any progress he'd made had been destroyed the night his mom died, and he hadn't made much anyway. He was still new to this magic stuff, and he doubted himself so much that it made it hard to do much of anything.

He opened the door because he assumed it would lead to the girl... It didn't. The entity standing on the other side made him panic immediately. He tried to slam the door shut, but the blue man who'd murdered his mother forced his way inside before he could.

"Fear not, my boy," he said gently. "I have come to help you."

"No... No, get out of here!" Luke said. He knew his dad and Vinny and Robby were in the house. They were in danger. If this monster stepped out of Luke's room, he could slaughter the rest of his family.

Call Troy... Or Sage... They'll hear you, Luke thought. He decided against that, however, because he knew they'd never get there in time. Luke focused his energy enough to seal his room off entirely. The monster wouldn't be able to get out... But neither could Luke. He was trapped in that room with the monster who'd killed his mother.

"Work with me, Luke, and all will be well," the monster said.

"You shot my mother!" Luke said firmly. "I'll never work with you."

"Brave boy... However, you are not very bright. You will do as I say."

Luke was terrified. This guy's very presence radiated evil and Luke had never felt anything like that before, but it didn't matter. He had to do the right thing. He had to be strong.

As the monster came at him, Luke fought back. His Martial Arts training helped slightly, but when the monster mocked him, he still reacted.

"Poor boy... so brave and strong, but really, you just miss your mother... You remind me so much of him."

"Of who?" Luke asked as he dodged another blow.

"Of Zordon. You even look a bit like him when he was a boy." This realization seemed to make the monster angry. He became more aggressive, and soon, Luke could do nothing to defend himself. At some point, Luke's fear overpowered him and he lost awareness. He came around some time later, bleeding and rocking in a fetal position.

He realized he was alone and forced himself to stand. Cautiously, he lowered the seal on his room and began taking care of his injuries. He jumped in the shower, washed away the blood, and decided he would never speak of this to anyone. It had been his fault... He'd opened the door. He'd let that monster in. His father and Sage and Troy and even Ollie would be so disappointed in him... He couldn't tell them.

When he emerged, he was clean and looked better, even if he was still incredibly sore. He could handle that. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and put the smile back on his face.

OLLIE

He hadn't planned on spending his first Christmas without his mom like this. Initially, Ollie had wanted to pretend the day was anything else. His mom had loved Christmas... But he couldn't ignore the increasingly frantic texts from Luke as the day went on. Tamira's mother and brothers were in town for the entire week since her birthday was the twenty-first, and as much as he loved being around them, it was hard watching her family celebrate. He finally decided to get on his skateboard and head home, at least for the night. After all, even Sage had chastised him for not even giving his dad Christmas.

Now, he was about to do something crazy, but if this girl who looked so much like his mom really was his sister, he had to help her. Family mattered. His mom would want him to save her.

Ollie focused on the girl's energy. It was similar enough to Luke's that he could track it pretty well. He took a deep breath. "Here's to field testing my limits the hard way," he mumbled before stepping into the shadows. It wasn't always easy to navigate in the shadow realm, but Ollie could feel something pulling him toward Lucy. He followed it until he knew he was in the right place, then waited until he sensed she was alone. He stepped out of the shadows and, sure enough, Lucy lay strapped to a bed. He saw the equipment around the room and realized what had caused the so-called seizure... They'd been electrocuting her.

Ollie rushed to her side and tried to free her. The straps were unbreakable. "Screw this," he mumbled. He closed his eyes and summoned his sword. He'd gotten good at that, too. He carefully slashed the straps. Lucy groaned, still too out of it to do much else. Ollie scooped her up in his arms. She was small for her age and clearly hadn't been fed enough. He carried her easily, as if she were Robby. Ollie heard someone coming and carefully placed Lucy out of harm's way. He waited for them to open the door. When they did, Ollie attacked, using every move he knew to take down the assholes who'd clearly tortured this girl. He grabbed the chart that sat on the front of her bed and picked her back up before fleeing back into the shadows.

He somehow managed to land in his bedroom. Ollie sighed with relief. "I guess I passed the test," he said with a grin. He couldn't believe he'd pulled that off!

He placed Lucy carefully on his bed and stuck his head out. "Dad?" He called.

"Ollie? How did you...?" His father asked as he walked toward him.

"You don't want to know. Listen, Dad... I saved someone tonight... Someone both Kira and I think might be-"

"Kira? Wait... Is this about...?"

"Lucy. Yeah. I found her, Dad... I saved her from the people who had her, and I brought her home."

His dad stepped into his room and looked at Lucy. "I know we need to, like, run a DNA test or whatever, but..." Ollie began.

His father continued staring at Lucy. "Only for official records... I don't need a DNA test... That's her," he said.

"How do you know?"

"Because she looks exactly like your mother. There's no way that's not our daughter. I don't know how, but-"

"I might. I stole her chart." Ollie opened it to the first page. It had recent information, so he flipped to the back.

The infant is called Lucy. Orphan. Brought in by her aunt. Surrendered to this facility based on family history of severe mental illness and behavioral disorders. Study and raise patient with extreme caution. Any and all extreme measures approved to treat the psychosis. Surrendered by Katherine Oliver.

Ollie dropped the chart. "Ollie? Ollie, what is it?" His father asked.

"That bitch!" Ollie said.

"What does it say, Ollie?" His father asked as Ollie picked the chart back up.

"It was Kat, Dad. Kat locked her away in that awful place! They were electrocuting her, Dad! And Kat apparently told them to do it!"

His father stared at the chart. "She helped us through the loss," he said numbly. "Katherine was your mother's rock as we grieved for our baby girl... And the whole time..." He shook his head. "The whole time, she was alive."

Lucy started to stir. Ollie quickly sat beside her. "It's okay. You're safe. I got you out of there," Ollie said.

Lucy blinked at him. "Where am I?" She asked.

"You're home, Lucy... And you're never going back to that place," their father said.

"Ollie I know... We met... But who are you?" Lucy asked him.

"I think... No, I know that I'm your father."

"Oh. I didn't know I had one, but okay."

"Okay? Do you have any questions?"

"I'm not supposed to ask questions."

"You can ask us anything, Lucy. We won't hurt you."

"What's your name?"

"Jason."

"Okay, Jason. Is this where I sleep now?"

"You can call me Dad if you want to... And no. This is Ollie's room... I guess we can set you up in Maddie's room for a while. She's usually at Tanya's anyway, and that used to be the guest room."

"No. Put her with Luke, Dad," Ollie said. "Trust me. I think, at least at first, they need to stay close to each other."

"She hasn't even met him... Luke has no idea-"

"I have no idea about what?" Luke asked, sticking his head in. He stared at Lucy.

"You... You're the boy..." Lucy mumbled. "I'm Lucy. You have issues. They started a couple months ago."

"I'm Luke... And I felt you, too... Especially today. Are you okay?"

She shrugged. "They got mad when weird stuff started happening again. They always blame me... But I'll be fine."

"Luke, there's something your mom and I never told you," their father said. "You were supposed to be a twin. When you were born, we were told she died, but... Apparently not. This is your sister."

Luke's eyes went wide. "You guys kept the fact that I had a twin from me?!" He asked.

"We thought she was dead. It would have only hurt you."

"Can I have a minute with her?"

Their father nodded. Ollie followed him outside. "She' s alive..." He said in wonder. "You brought her back..."

"She's family. Family's more important than anything else... I'm back, too, Dad. No more staying with Zack," Ollie told him. He paused before adding, "Merry Christmas, Dad."

"Merry Christmas, Ollie," his father replied as he pulled him into a hug. Ollie knew he was trying to hide the fact that he was crying.

Things were far from perfect and resolved, but Ollie knew it was time to try to start working on fixing them.

THE NEXT DAY.

BULK

He was confused when they brought him into the room he usually met with his lawyer in. Instead of his lawyer, a woman sat at the table. Bulk noticed her long brown hair was pulled into pigtails and she wore jeans and an Avengers t-shirt. Her glasses slid down her nose a bit as she studied a file. She looked up at him and adjusted them quickly as she smiled. Bulk noticed she was pretty hot when she smiled.

"Hi, you must be Bulk," she said. She shook his hand. "My name is Selena Klein, but you can just call me Sellie. Everyone does. Anyway, I'm here to help you with your case."

"You're not my lawyer," Bulk said. "He's not nearly so attractive." He grinned at her.

Sellie laughed. "You're quite the charmer for a man facing the death penalty. No worries, Bulk. I've taken over your case at Billy's request."

"You know Billy?"

"I helped him legally come back from the dead. I handle all sorts of legal issues, but the only thing you need to know is that I don't lose. Ever. Your case isn't even hard, now that Billy can testify... I'm just here to speed the process along. Oh, and I put an injunction against your wife so she can't try to get sole custody of your kids until after you're out of here. I'm confident I can help you get joint custody without an issue."

"How much is this gonna cost me?"

"Nothing. I happen to like Billy, and I don't like seeing people go to jail for crimes they didn't commit."

"You don't dress like a lawyer... Sellie."

"I dress up in courtrooms. The rest of the time, I like to feel like myself. I'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty and it's easier if I'm not dressed up like some stuck-up bitch."

Bulk decided he just might be in love with this quirky new lawyer of his. "So what do you need from me?"

"Nothing. Just stay out of trouble until I get you out of here. Don't shank anyone, don't get into fist fights, and don't attack any of the prison staff. Keep your head down and I'll have you out of here in no time."

"Pity. I was planning on shanking the cafeteria lady who keeps screwing me out of pudding later on today," Bulk said with a straight face.

Sellie laughed. "Well, that is a crime punishable by death. Never deny a man his pudding cup!" She said with a grin.

Yep. She's a keeper, he thought. He would definitely need to thank Billy for sending her his way. He felt more confident already. There was no way a judge would ever deny this woman anything she wanted.

LUCY

She woke up being snuggled. That was all well and good, but it was kind of weird for her. No one ever hugged Lucy, but Luke seemed to be a huggy person. He'd obviously been freaked out the night before, but he'd brought her to his room, curled up next to her in his bed, and apparently rolled over and hugged her during the night and just stayed that way.

Lucy wiggled out of his arms and got off the bed. The poor kid was exhausted and he didn't even stir as she crept outside to find a bathroom. She wasn't sure if she was really supposed to go anywhere on her own without permission, but Jason had said she could go anywhere in the house, so she was testing that.

She took care of her morning needs before walking around and looking for other places to explore. Lucy was eleven and naturally curious, but it had never been safe to be curious about anything before, so she was also nervous. She was as silent as a ninja as she walked from room to room. She could hear voices downstairs and figured Jason and his other sons were down there, so she stayed upstairs. She walked into a bedroom that was obviously Jason's. The bed was bigger and there were grown-up belongings everywhere.

A photo on the dresser showed a happy family, or so it appeared. A woman Lucy didn't know stood with four boys surrounding her. The smallest one was clearly trying to escape, but Luke held him by his t-shirt. Lucy smiled at that. It was funny. Ollie was also in the picture, next to another boy Lucy didn't know.

"Good morning," Jason said, making her jump. She cowered, ready for him to yell at her and attack her for being in his room.

Lucy stared at her feet and mumbled, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," he said. "You're welcome in my room, Lucy. You're my daughter."

That was a foreign concept to her. She'd never had parents or a family or anyone who cared about her before. She didn't know what to do with them.

"That's your mom," Jason explained gently. "Her name was Becky... She... She died recently, but I know she'd have been so happy we found you... She loved you, Lucy. We both did."

That idea freaked Lucy out. How could strangers love her? "Do you want to meet your other brothers?" Jason asked.

Lucy shrugged. He led her downstairs. Lucy saw Ollie and the other two boys sitting in a room on a couch watching television, although one of them seemed to be reading more than watching. Lucy had never been allowed to watch television, but she'd seen them before in some of the other patients' rooms.

"Boys... This is Lucy," Jason said. "Lucy, that's Vinny reading the book and Robby with Ollie."

"Hi," Lucy said.

"Fight Stance!" Robby cried, running up to her and posing strangely.

Lucy looked at him in confusion. "You're weird," she informed him.

"Thanks!" Robby said. "Do you Fight Stance?"

"What does that mean?"

"This!" He demonstrated.

"Robby, Lucy's not trained like you guys are," Jason said.

"You don't fight? You're a sister! Daddy finally made a sister!" Robby declared with delight.

"Robby, we've been over this. Maddie is your sister."

"Maddie's a boy," Robby insisted.

"Give it up, Dad. He'll never accept it. She's too much of a tomboy," Ollie said.

"Maddie wears dresses, Robby," Jason pointed out.

"But she's still a boy!" Robby said.

"A boy who wears dresses... Maddie's a drag queen?" Lucy asked, remembering the funny term she'd once heard.

Ollie spit out his soda as he laughed very hard. Vinny hid his face behind his book and Lucy suspected he was trying not to laugh, too. Robby looked at Jason and asked, "Daddy, what's a drag queen? Is Maddie a drag queen?"

Jason blinked a few times before recovering. "No... No, Maddie is not a drag queen," he said. Even he looked like he was torn between being horrified and laughing.

"But she wears dresses, and she's a boy, so-"

"Robby... No." Now, he did laugh. "Maddie's a girl. I promise. Just like Lucy."

"I finally have a sister," Robby said. He hugged Lucy, surprising her, but there was something undeniably adorable about the little one and Lucy hugged him back. She kind of liked him.

"Ol, can you get Robby ready?" Jason asked. "I'm going to go wake Luke up."

"Sure," Ollie said. "Come on, Monster." He scooped Robby up in his arms. Robby struggled to escape, but Ollie won, and they vanished upstairs.

"I'll be right back, guys," Jason said. He left to go wake up her twin. She couldn't quite grasp the concept of family, but she understood that Luke was her twin and that made him different... She felt the connection to him. She could feel what he was feeling. She knew when he was scared, and judging from the time everything had started going crazy with her, she knew it was because Luke had lost his mom... Their mom? She couldn't think of Becky as her mother. To her, that was just a word, and Becky was still a stranger and always would be.

Vinny sat on the couch, still silently reading. "You're quiet," Lucy observed. "I like that."

Vinny looked at her nervously. "I don't have much to say," he replied softly.

Lucy was instantly curious about him. Ollie, Luke, and even Robby had all jumped on the "You're my sister, I love you, let's be best friends" bandwagon right away, but Vinny was keeping his distance. He didn't seem to expect anything from her. She appreciated that.

They started talking. Little by little, Vinny began opening up, admitting he missed his mom and had seen everything and still had issues trusting their dad. Lucy knew what had happened to Becky. Luke had told her the night before. Still, she could see how traumatized Vinny was, and she understood being scared and not trusting anyone.

I trust him, she decided. Vinny is okay. He's not a threat. He's just a messed-up kid like me.

When Luke and Jason finally came downstairs, Luke made himself breakfast. "Are you hungry, Lucy?" He asked. She shrugged. He made her some food, too. It was pretty good, and Lucy smiled at him. Maybe her twin wasn't so bad, either. Jason, however, kept insisting on petting her or hugging her every chance he got and he stared at her. She wasn't loving the attention.

Later that day, when she was alone with Robby, she started conspiring. "Jason needs a puppy," she told him.

"A puppy? I want a puppy!" Robby said.

"Do you have any other grown-ups in your life?"

"Troy's kind of a grown-up. He looks like one."

"Call Troy. Tell him to take you to buy Jason a dog, and then when Jason tries to pet me, I want you to tell him to pet the dog instead."

Robby laughed. "That's funny! Okay!"

Lucy had met Troy for all of ten seconds when he'd come by earlier to check on her brothers, but she had a feeling he wouldn't be able to tell Robby no. Sure enough, he came by to get Robby a little while later.

"Jason's going to kill me," Troy said, "but I think a pet would be good for the boys... And I get that you need some space."

"Thanks," Lucy said.

Troy disappeared with Robby. Shortly after, Jason brought someone inside the house. "Lucy... These are my friends, Sellie and Billy. Sellie's going to help me get legal custody of you. I know you've never been in school before, but legally, I have to prove I'm educating you. Billy's here to talk to you about being your home instructor," Jason explained.

Sellie looked like a big kid. She didn't scare Lucy, and her smile made her even less intimidating. There was something very genuine about her. "Hi, Lucy," she said. "It's very nice to meet you. If you need anything, or if you just want to talk, I'm here to help. Your dad and I are going to talk upstairs now, okay?"

Lucy nodded and Sellie left with Jason. Billy stayed with her. "So you're a teacher?" Lucy asked.

"I have taught before, yes," Billy said. "I'm a little out of practice. My life got flipped upside-down for a while, but I'm getting back on track now."

He sat with her and began talking about things. Billy knew a lot of stuff about a lot of subjects and that made talking to him interesting. Most of all, he was a very open, genuinely nice guy, and Lucy decided he wasn't out to hurt her. She got him talking about himself. She noticed he kept lighting up whenever he mentioned a woman named Kimberly.

"Is Kimberly your girlfriend?" She asked.

Billy laughed awkwardly. "Um... No," he said. "No, Kimberly and I aren't dating... We're... We're just friends."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"But you want to date her, right? You love her."

Billy stared at her. "Lucy, I'm not sure this is appropriate for us to be discussing."

"I'm just trying to get to know you. I'm not used to people... But I can tell you love her. Have you told her? You should tell her."

Billy blushed, and Lucy giggled. "I do love Kim," Billy admitted. "I'm just not sure either of us is ready to be in a relationship."

"That's dumb. You came back from the dead, she helped you through it, and you're crazy about her. Just tell her, Dummy!"

Billy laughed. "Wow. That's not something I get called often."

"So stop acting like one and tell the girl you love her." Lucy wasn't sure what was so complicated. People did that all the time, right? They fell in love, they dated, they got married... It was normal, wasn't it?

Billy smiled. "You're very wise, Lucy. I'll definitely take it under consideration."

Sellie came back downstairs and the two left after that, but Lucy was satisfied that he was genuinely going to consider telling this woman he loved her. She hoped he'd be happy. Billy seemed like someone who deserved happiness.

LUKE

He went out for a run because he needed to stay in shape for his Martial Arts training. It also helped clear his head. Luke couldn't believe he had a twin sister he'd never known about, but at the same time, it felt right. He'd always felt off, but he couldn't explain why, and now he knew it was because part of him had been missing.

Luke froze in place as he felt a door open. He hadn't done it intentionally, but somehow, his thoughts had triggered his powers to kick in. Zell stood before him. "Hello again, my boy," Zell said.

Luke tried to run, but Zell pulled him into the place he'd come from and slammed the door shut. Not again, he thought. He desperately reached out to Sage for help and prayed she'd hear him.

ZEDD

Sage was laughing and relaxed one second and looked panicked the next. "What's wrong?" Zedd asked in alarm.

"It's Luke... Jason's son... I think... I think Zell has him!" Sage said.

"Why would Zell target Luke? Ollie's the one he should be after."

"I don't know... But I have to help him, Zedd. I'm going after him."

"Not alone you're not. I'm coming with you."

"You can't face Zell, Zedd. Not yet."

"I'm not leaving an innocent child with that monster, and I'm not letting you face him by yourself."

"He's not in this dimension... I need Tia." Sage picked up the phone and asked her friend to help. Tia gladly agreed. Zedd was just relieved she hadn't gone to Liza. Tia might physically resemble Xia a bit, but Liza looked exactly like her, and while Tia had a very different personality, Liza was basically an exact duplicate of the woman he'd loved and lost. He couldn't handle being near her for any extended amount of time. It hurt too much.

They met up with Tia quickly and she opened up a portal that took them straight to where Luke was being attacked. Sage cursed as she saw the shape the boy was in. Zell fled before Zedd caught more than a glimpse of him, so they raced to Luke's side.

"Luke? Luke, honey, it's Sage," Sage called to him.

Luke was mumbling to himself. Zedd watched as the boy cleaned himself up and began automatically cleaning up the mess his obvious struggles had caused. An eerie sensation hit Zedd and he realized he'd seen this before.

"Luke, let me help," Sage said.

"I'm fine. I just need to clean this up," Luke insisted.

"Luke-"

"I'm fine. It's not a big deal. I'm okay." The boy was on autopilot. It was clear the excessive trauma had broken something in him. More alarming, however, was the fact that he was behaving in a way that Zedd recognized well.

Zedd studied him. He had very light skin, but aside from the fact that he wasn't blue, Zedd realized the boy bore a striking resemblance to Zordon when he was younger. His mannerisms and the way he handled trauma were nearly identical to Zordon as a boy as well.

"It's okay, Luke," Zedd said gently. "I understand. I know what he is... You don't have to talk about it, but please, allow me to heal you and ease your pain."

Luke didn't fight him. He stayed still as Zedd healed an injury to his head. Then, Zedd set to work on healing the rest of the issues. He could feel Luke's fear and pain, as well as his grief over his mother. Zedd did everything he could to soothe the boy. He felt compelled to help him and was reminded far too strongly of the times Zordon had broken and he'd had to help him piece himself back together.

"Sage... Who is this boy?" Zedd asked after stepping away from Luke.

"I told you. He's Jason's son, Luke, the eleven-year-old," Sage said.

"Everything repeats... The Universe provides safeguards, and the story is retelling itself... What if it's not Katie?"

"What?"

"What if the Zordon of the group isn't Katie? What if it's this boy?"

"Zedd, that makes no sense. Katie's Zell's granddaughter."

"What if Luke is related to him, too?"

"How? Jason descends from Dimitri and Morgana."

"What about Luke's mother? You said Zell came into the room and shot her when Jason failed to do it himself. Why would he do that? What made her so important that she had to die?"

"It was so Ollie would be traumatized."

"What if it's more than that, Sage? Zell could have made sure that she died some other way. Why get his hands dirty? Why was she so significant?"

Sage hesitated. "Jason told me this morning that Luke's a twin, Zedd. He just found out his daughter's still alive... Aunt Kat apparently took her away and hid her in some sort of facility and made sure Jason and Becky thought the baby was stillborn."

"A twin... Sage... What if Zordon had a twin, too?"

"Did he ever mention one?"

"No, but Luke didn't know about his twin. Maybe Zordon didn't either." Zedd shook his head. It seemed impossible, but at the same time, if history was repeating itself...

"We have to figure out if you're right... We could ask Zordon-"

"No. No, I can't hurt him like that. If it's not true, or if it is but his sister is dead... It will hurt him. We need all the details before we tell him anything. I'll look for energies that could be right... See if there's anyone out there who feels enough like Zordon to be his twin. If she exists and she's still alive, I'll find her."

"Alright. Let's get Luke home."

He nodded. He didn't say much to Tia because he was pretty sure the girl hated him. She'd gone out of her way to stay away from him, and he figured that was just as well. After everything he'd put Aisha through, he could understand her hatred. She probably blamed him for what she'd had to do to her mother. Zedd blamed himself for that, too. Still, he cared about Tia. She was Xia's descendant, and even more importantly, she'd saved Taylor's life despite that meaning she'd had to kill the mother she adored. She was a strong young woman, one he knew must make Xia incredibly proud, and he wished he could undo everything he'd done that had indirectly destroyed her life.

ANISE

She was enjoying a rare moment of relaxation. Anise had spent the last several millennia living quite the life. Her first fifteen years had been hell. From the time she was born, her father had kept her in the void outside of the timeline. She was stuck there, whether he was with her or not, and he mistreated her terribly. The abuse had been horrific, but what was worse was when he hadn't come back. Because she was completely dependent on her father for survival, Anise had been faced with an unthinkable choice... Find a way out of the void, or starve to death. Somehow, she'd escaped into time, and she'd learned the universe was celebrating her father's death at the hands of her twin brother Zordon.

Anise had wanted desperately to run to Zordon and tell him who she was, but she was afraid it would only hurt him. Instead, she'd found her own place in the world. She learned to blend in anywhere she went. She became a spy in wars for Kings. She would find the side she felt was morally justified and help them win the war. She constantly reinvented herself, living a thousand lifetimes and never aging. She could pass for anywhere between fourteen and twenty-two, and she frequently changed identities and moved to new places because of this.

She was ready to move on again. That was why, when she saw the people coming toward her, she was willing to at least listen to what they had to say.

"Hello," the boy said. She recognized him. This was one of her brother's friends, although he had barely aged. The last she'd heard, Zedd had become a powerful villain and had lost all of his skin, but she had memories of the glimpses into Zordon's mind she'd had over the years and she knew this was what he'd looked like before all of that. "I'd like to speak with you."

"Lord Zedd," she said. "I know who you are. What do you want?"

"It's just Zedd. I've dropped the Lord part... And this is Sage Park, a very dear friend of mine."

"The Green Ranger, yes... That's why you look vaguely familiar."

Sage stared at her. "How did you know that?"

"I keep tabs on the Power Rangers... They're really quite an impressive group. Zordon is very accomplished."

"You know who Zordon is?"

"I do. But the question is, how did you find me?"

"I was looking for you," Zedd said. "I suspected that he had a sister... Am I correct?"

"You are. I'm only telling you this because I can feel you have good intentions. My brother doesn't know I exist."

"It's time he finds out."

"I'd rather not ruin his life, thank you."

"What is your name?" Sage asked.

"I have many... But my birth name is Anise."

"Anise... Your father is back."

"I know. I felt him... I had hoped I was wrong." She shuddered. She wasn't afraid of her father, but she didn't like to think about him, either. The only thing she knew was if she saw him again, she'd make sure he stayed dead this time.

"There are two children who need your help, Anise," Zedd said. "Twins... A boy and a girl, separated at birth... And they bear a striking resemblance to you and Zordon."

"Maybe Zordon has descendants," Sage suggested.

"No," Zedd said firmly. "Zordon only loved one woman. He didn't get anyone pregnant."

"He's right," Anise said. She sighed. "But I have descendants. I had a son, about fifty years ago. I had to give him up for adoption for his safety. A life on the run is no life for a child."

"Did he have a daughter?" Sage asked.

"I don't know. I lost track of him. They kept moving him around in the system, and when he finally got adopted, his new parents changed his name."

"Becky's father was adopted... I remember that... Could she be your granddaughter?" Sage pulled out her phone and pulled up a social media site. She showed a photo to Anise.

"She looks a lot like me," Anise said. "It's certainly possible. He was born in Florida, if that helps."

"So was Becky. She grew up there and didn't move to Angel Grove until her husband decided he needed to come back home."

"If Becky was Zell's granddaughter... It would explain why he killed her," Zedd said.

"She's dead?" Anise asked. "The poor girl... Is... Is my son still...?"

"He's alive. He took it hard, but Becky had siblings, and her mother's still alive, too. He's not alone," Sage reassured her.

Anise was relieved. All she'd ever wanted was for her son to be happy. "I'll make the bastard pay for killing her," she promised.

"Right now, we just need to reunite you with your brother. Zell is going after Becky's son Luke, and he might go for her daughter Lucy next. We have to protect them."

"I can help. They're my family." Anise knew it was time. She'd hoped to meet her brother one day, but she'd given up ages ago. Now she knew she had to do it. Her father could try to use her existence as a weapon if Zordon didn't know, and now there were two young children in danger as well... Her great-grandchildren. She owed it to her son to protect them.

"We'll bring you to Zordon soon... For now, let's just get you to Angel Grove," Zedd said. "You can settle in and then we'll talk to Zordon."

Anise nodded. "I can be packed up and ready to go within the hour," she said. She was used to leaving with little to no time to say goodbye. At least this time, she knew where she was going next.

NEW YEAR'S EVE.

BILLY

Maybe he shouldn't take advice from eleven-year-olds, but Billy had decided it was time. He and Kimberly had been holding hands, sleeping beside each other, and very rarely even indulging in a quick kiss every so often for a while now, but neither had been willing to discuss what all of that meant.

Tommy was having a gathering at his house to celebrate New Year's Eve. A lot of the others had come. As the residents of the house, Tommy, Billy, Josh, Kimberly, Katie, and Jayden were all there. Kenny had gone over Tanya's to stay with Angie, who wasn't up to socializing with everyone else as she continued to grieve her mother. Trini, Brian, Zack, and Tamira had come over from the guest house. TJ and Cassie were in town, so Tommy had immediately invited them over as well. Adam had brought Thorn and Caleb over, but Sage had decided to stay home with Troy, Zedd, and Koda, who was still hanging around Angel Grove looking out for her. Jason and his kids had decided to spend time together at home as a family, although Maddie had come over to Tommy's with Tanya, Zeke, and Rocky. Tanya had also brought Taylor and Liza over, because Liza loved a good party, and Taylor had wanted to hang out with Josh for the night. Tia was watching the other kids, along with Kenny and Angie, back at their house.

Kira walked in with Dustin and said, "I hope you don't mind that I brought a guest, Doc O."

"Of course not! Dustin's family," Tommy said cheerfully as he poured Kira and Dustin drinks.

Billy took the opportunity to slip away with Kimberly unnoticed. He brought her upstairs. "Kimberly... Can we talk?" Billy asked.

"Of course," Kimberly said. "Are you okay? Is the party too much for you?"

"I'm fine... I just... I think we need to discuss a few things."

"Alright. What's up?"

"We never discussed what happened the night I killed Mark."

"There's nothing to discuss. You saved me."

"And we kissed, Kimberly... We kissed, and then we never spoke about it again."

"Oh..." Kimberly smiled at him shyly. "It doesn't have to mean anything, Billy. I know things have been hard for you."

"They have... But being with you helps, Kim. You keep me grounded... And I've realized..." He hesitated. This was harder than he'd thought it was going to be. His wife had been dead for years, and he hadn't said this to any woman since... "I love you, Kim."

"I love you, too, Billy. You're my best friend. I'm so relieved you're back."

"No... No, Kimberly, that's not what I meant." He took a deep breath. It was too late to turn back now. He had to get this out. "I mean I've fallen for you, Kimberly. I'm in love with you..."

Kimberly's eyes widened. She stared at him for a minute and Billy was positive she was going to reject him. Instead, she kissed him. It was longer than they usually kissed, and he savored every second of it. Kimberly felt right in his arms. He knew exactly who he was when they were together. All of their memories came back to him and made him smile.

"I feel the same way," Kimberly admitted when she finally broke the kiss. She stayed in his arms as she added, "I was afraid to tell you. I thought it would scare you. I didn't want to freak you out, and I didn't think you felt that way... I mean... You've always been my best friend, but... I thought that was as far as things went for you."

"I don't know how it happened, Kim... But I can't imagine ever being away from you now. You're my rock, and the only time my world makes sense is when you're in it."

Kimberly kissed him again, and this time, Billy took control. He allowed himself to pull her closer and truly feel her. When he pulled away, he whispered, "Marry me."

Kimberly stared at him. "Billy... Did you just...?"

"I did... Is it too soon? This is insane, right? I'm sorry... I just can't picture ever wanting to be with anyone else, Kimberly. I love you, and if I've learned one thing, it's that life is too short to wait. If we both feel this way... It only seems right... But I understand if you're horrified... You had barely left Mark when I killed him, and it hasn't been that long... I'm sorry. Forget I said any-"

"Yes."

"Come again?" Now, it was Billy's turn to stare.

"Yes, Billy. I'll marry you." She laughed and kissed him again. "I've loved you for a long time, Billy. That love may have evolved into something different, but it's not a new thing for me. I spent entirely too many years being married to a monster... I didn't think I deserved better... But you love me anyway, and I can't think of a single reason why we shouldn't be together."

He was happier than he could ever remember being. He laughed as he awkwardly asked, "How are we supposed to tell everyone this?"

Kimberly smiled. "Who says we have to tell them right away? Let's just enjoy it for a bit... We can tell them we're dating and ease them into it."

"Do you think Josh and Kenny will be upset?"

"No... Not really. They're practically brothers anyway, and Kenny adores you."

"Josh loves you, too."

"I just think we need to find the right time to tell them this... So baby steps... When the moment presents itself, we'll tell them, and we won't tell anyone else before we tell the boys. But we're engaged, Billy. And I love that idea."

"So do I." He kissed her a final time before saying, "We should probably get downstairs before midnight."

They walked downstairs holding hands. Tommy looked at them curiously. "Where'd you guys go?" He asked.

"We went upstairs and decided something," Kimberly said. "Tommy... Billy and I are together."

"Obviously. You're both standing right there, Kim."

Kimberly laughed awkwardly. "No... I mean... We're... Together, Tommy. We're a couple."

"Told you so!" Katie declared. "About time you two admitted it."

"Oh... Oh, wow... That's... Great, guys," Tommy said. "How blind have I been not to see that?"

"Don't feel bad, Doc O. You're awful at spotting relationships," Kira said with a laugh.

"Really? What else did I miss?"

"Oh, don't worry... The other half of the relationship missed it, too," she said mysteriously.

"Huh?"

"It's almost time!" Zack declared. "Ten, nine, eight..."

Everyone began counting down with him. At the stroke of midnight, Billy kissed Kimberly again and he knew they were making the right choice.

"Whoa, when did that happen?" Tommy declared.

Billy looked up and realized Kira had swooped Dustin back dramatically and was kissing him hard in front of everyone. Dustin blinked at Kira with a goofy look on his face when she finally released him. "See? Clueless," Kira told Tommy.

"What was that for?" Dustin asked dreamily.

"You spend every night at my house watching Netflix, right? And you obviously like me. And clearly there's a ton of attraction between us both," Kira said. "You like me, right? You're crushing on me hard?"

"Well, yeah, but... I mean... Was it that obvious?"

"Oh yeah! But don't be embarrassed. It's endearing... And I like you, too. So why not, right? Let's make it official. We're a thing."

"About time," Jayden mumbled.

"Love is in the air tonight!" Zeke declared. He kissed Maddie dramatically.

Trini walked closer to Billy and Kimberly. She was fully healed from her physical injuries thanks to Zedd, but she still wasn't ready to get on a plane and go home yet. "Congratulations, guys," she said. "I'm happy you have each other."

"Thanks, Trini," Billy said as Kimberly leaned closer to him.

"This has been a good night," Kimberly said. "It's a nice change of pace."

Josh walked toward them. Billy looked at Trini and Kimberly. "Excuse us for a minute," he said. He walked away with his son.

"So... Kimberly, huh?" Josh asked.

"Yeah... Are you okay with it, Josh? I know it must be weird for you... I still love your mom so much... But-"

"Dad, you can't be alone forever. No one expects you to be... I just never imagined you'd end up dating Kimberly."

"Are you mad?"

"No. Kim's great... I just didn't know you were ready for a relationship."

"I didn't either, but it seems to have happened anyway."

"Kenny's going to be upset. He's really protective of his mom."

"We'll talk to him."

"I'm happy for you, Dad... Kimberly makes you smile. It's nice to see you happy."

"Thanks." Billy wondered if his son had any interest in dating. Josh had never shown much of an interest in that sort of thing before, but it was an awkward thing to ask. There was a possibility Josh was asexual. He could also be too traumatized for that sort of thing because of the abuse he'd suffered, though Billy hoped that wasn't the case... But there was something about the way that Josh looked at Taylor that made Billy wonder if there was something going on between them.

"Josh... You know you can tell me anything, right? Always?" Billy asked.

"I know, Dad," Josh replied.

"Is there anyone you're interested in like that?"

Josh tensed. "Why?"

"I was just curious."

"No. I mean... I don't know."

"Josh... I want you to know that, no matter what, I love you. I always will. And I'll never judge you or love you any less, even if you think something might be different about you."

"Dad... Are you trying to ask me if I'm gay?" Josh asked in horror.

"I'm just telling you that if you're gay, straight, bisexual, asexual, or unlabeled, I don't care. I'll love you the same."

Josh looked like he might cry. Instead, he whispered, "I'm... Confused."

"That's okay, too. Do you want to talk about it?"

"No... Not really."

"Okay... But if you ever do-"

"I never liked anyone... Not like that. I'm not interested in that stuff... Except... I connected to someone, and it changed that... But that person is the only one that makes me think I might feel something... And I'm scared of it."

"It's a scary thing."

"It's... It's Taylor, Dad," he whispered. "And I know it's not okay... You're probably disappointed in me."

"Why on Earth would you think that? It's perfectly okay to love another boy, Josh. Love is love. You can't control it. Thorn and Caleb are probably the cutest couple I've ever seen. Why would you loving a boy be any different?"

"I don't know if it's love... But whatever it is... It's not okay for me... Because Ian's right then... If I like a boy..."

"That monster took advantage of you. Don't let whatever he said to you change who you are as a person, Josh. What he did wasn't love. It was abuse. You didn't want that, no matter what you may want now."

"I don't know what I want... I just know I like being with him... I care about him... And he's the only person who I ever considered kissing or... Or even..." He shuddered.

"Josh, it's okay. It's normal. You're sixteen. You have hormones. And you and Taylor have a bond that even I can see. You don't have to label it. Your feelings for him don't define you, but they're not a bad thing. If he makes you happy, that's all that matters."

Josh actually looked relieved. "You're really not upset?"

"Not even a little."

Josh hugged him. "I've been keeping it in because I was so scared I'd upset you..."

"How about we be honest with each other from now on? I don't keep anything from you and you don't keep anything from me, and we don't worry about upsetting each other."

"Okay."

Billy hesitated. "I'm going to tell you something, because I just promised to... But don't tell anyone, okay? No one knows yet."

Josh looked curious now. "Okay. What is it?"

"Kim and I aren't just dating... I asked her to marry me, and she said yes."

Josh stared at him. "What? You're engaged? You weren't even dating earlier today!"

"Josh, Kim and I have loved each other for most of our lives... It's become romantic, but it's always been there, even before that. We both know that we want to be together, and we both know how short life can be... Anything can happen in an instant."

Josh nodded. "Okay," he said.

"Okay?" Billy repeated.

"Okay. Kimberly loves you, and she's great, and she makes you happy. I want that for you, Dad. So, okay. Get married. I need a little time to get used to it, but I want you to be happy more than anything."

"Thanks, Josh. It means a lot to me that you approve."

Josh smiled at him. "It means a lot to me that you approve of what I said, too."

Billy knew things were okay between them then. The two of them walked back to the party. Josh went straight for Taylor. Billy smiled, seeing how happy the boy obviously made his son.

He looked at everyone else. They were smiling and laughing. Thorn and Caleb were cuddling as they talked to Zeke and Maddie, who held hands. Kira and Dustin looked happier than ever. Tommy was surrounded by his friends and family, laughing and genuinely enjoying himself for what seemed like the first time in ages. Everything was perfect for just one night. Billy pulled Kimberly closer to him and decided not to worry about how long that peaceful happiness might or might not last.


	26. Chapter Twenty-Six

ZORDON

He was only moderately surprised when Zedd came to the Command Center. He walked in quite nervously and looked around. "It's really very impressive," Zedd told him.

"Thank you... Are you alright, Zedd? You seem nervous," Zordon said.

"Aye-yi-yi! Intruder alert! Intruder alert! Lord Zedd has breached the Command Center! I shall alert the Rangers at once!" Alpha declared.

"Calm yourself, Alpha," Zordon said. "Zedd is no longer evil. He is my friend and he is welcome here."

"But..." Zordon gave him a stern look. "Aye-yi-yi... Yes, Zordon. Of course." Alpha said.

"So, which Alpha are you?" Zedd asked pleasantly.

"I am Alpha Twenty-Six."

"I see. Well, Alpha Twenty-Six, I knew your great-great-and-so-on-grandfather, the very first Alpha. He was a wonderful friend. I do hope you can learn to tolerate me."

"I am an automaton. I do not have grandparents. Or parents."

"Your brother, then."

"I am not technically a living being."

"Hush! Of course you are. Every Alpha I have ever encountered has had their own unique personality. You may be robots, but never doubt that you are your own beings, each with something special you contribute. Many a battle would have been lost without an Alpha being involved."

"Lord Zedd... You are... Being... Kind. Aye-yi-yi! This does not compute! System overload!"

"Alpha, take this," Zordon said urgently.

"Why?" Alpha asked.

"It will calm you. Here, let me help..." Zordon quickly slid a programming chip into Alpha's back. Alpha immediately calmed down. "Better?" Zordon asked.

"Much! Thank you, Zordon," Alpha replied. He left the room.

"Was that the equivalent of telling him to 'Eat a Snickers?'" Zedd asked.

"I do not understand..." Zordon said in confusion.

"It's a commercial... I have recently been forced to watch television often, as there is not much else to do when I'm in the house. People behave angrily or just unlike themselves, someone tells them to eat the candy bar, and then they're instantly better. It's powerful magic... There must be an impressive potion inside of the chocolate bar."

Zordon decided that chocolate did, indeed, act as a magic potion to improve moods and did not correct Zedd. "Why did you seem nervous when you came here?" Zordon asked.

"I have something to tell you... Something difficult," Zedd replied.

"Go on."

"Katherine was not your only sister, Zordon. You had a twin. Your father hid her from everyone outside of the timeline."

Zordon stared at him for several moments. "A twin... You're certain?"

"I am. I began to suspect it was true because of Jason's boy, Luke... He recently found out-"

"I know. Maddie told me about Lucy."

"Your father is going after Luke, Zordon... Brutally. He kept it from his father, but he reached out to Sage for help, and I went with her... When we found the boy, he was acting so much like you used to, it was as if I'd gone back in time. The brutality your father showed requires rage, and the only thing that sets him off more than the Chosen is you. I also began to wonder why Zell went out of his way to kill Jason's wife... That's not like him. He prefers to arrange 'accidents' or have others do his dirty work. The idea of him firing a gun at a defenseless woman's head is hard for me to wrap my head around. People had forgotten him... They didn't know what a monster he is. Why stray from his usual act of being the perfect force of Good? Shooting her destroyed any credibility he might have had."

"You're right. I found that odd as well."

"Becky was your sister's granddaughter. Luke is your great-nephew. And, Zordon, he is exactly like you in a lot of ways, which means he's in terrible danger."

"How have you confirmed this? Did you read his energy?"

"I did more than that. I found your sister."

"You... How?"

"She was a few states away. I felt her energy and approached her. She already knew... She never went to you because she didn't want to upset you."

"She's alive."

"Very much so. And if you want to meet her, she's outside."

Zordon took a deep breath. "The last time I found out I had a sister, she was evil."

"Anise isn't evil. I think you'll like her."

"I liked Katherine, too. I can occasionally be fooled, Zedd."

"You can trust her, Zordon. I am certain of that."

Zordon nodded. "Very well. Bring her inside."

Zedd went to retrieve her. Zordon braced himself for an inevitably awkward conversation, but as soon as she walked in, he knew everything was true. He could feel her.

"Oh, Zordon..." She whispered. Louder, she added, "Hi. I'm Anise. I think I know a lot more about you than you know about me, so feel free to ask questions."

Zordon didn't know where to begin, but soon he found that Anise was extremely easy to talk to. Unexpected as this news was, Zordon knew it was right that they had found each other. With their father back, he had a feeling they were going to need each other.

LUCY

She was miserable. Although her plan to use a puppy to keep Jason from constantly petting her had worked, she was still uncomfortable in that house. She'd met Katie, which had been a disaster, because the bitch had picked a fight with her! To make it worse, Jason had defended Katie. Ollie had brushed off her behavior as just the way she was. Robby had been upset when Lucy called Katie a bitch and had described her as almost a sister. Vinny hadn't weighed in on it, and that was probably better. Lucy didn't want to get mad at him, too. She felt like no one was listening to her. The worst part was that even Luke had said he'd prefer not to get in the middle of her and Katie. He was her twin. If he didn't have her back, who did?

"I should tell the social worker I want to be put in foster care," Lucy said.

Billy looked at her with concern. She liked Billy. He listened and he didn't talk to her like she was dumb. "The foster care system isn't safe, Lucy," he said. "My son spent three years in it and he went through hell."

"It can't be worse than what I went through... Getting electrocuted every time weird stuff happened... Getting tortured..."

"What made you bring this up?"

"Everyone here wants me to be someone I'm not. They keep telling me I look just like my mom, but I don't know her. She's a stranger but they keep shoving her down my throat. Jason wants me to call him Dad, but he's still a stranger, too. I don't fit in here, Billy."

Billy sighed. "Foster care's not an option... I'd take you in myself, but I live with Tommy... I'm looking into houses, but I haven't found one yet."

"I don't want to stay here anymore."

He pulled out his phone and sent a text message. A minute later, he smiled at her. "You like Sellie, right? She's offered to take you in, at least for a while."

Lucy considered this. Sellie was funny and nice, and she always listened to Lucy. She also knew her passion was helping abused kids. "Okay," she said. "I'll try that."

Fifteen minutes later, Sellie came over and took Jason upstairs. When they returned, Jason looked like he might cry.

"Lucy, I'm sorry. I know this has been hard for you, and I realize now I've been too pushy... Sellie advised me it would be much better if I let you go with her today... We'll work on things slowly, at your pace, when you're ready. Until then, you'll stay with Sellie," he said.

Lucy was amazed he didn't try to stop her. "Okay," she said. "Let's go."

"Do you have anything you want to bring? I know Jason got you some clothes. I can buy you more, but-" Sellie said.

"Okay. I'll get my clothes."

"Here's a suitcase." Sellie handed it to her. Lucy could tell it was brand new and she wondered how Sellie had managed to find time to pick that up.

"Lucy..." Ollie said softly.

She looked at him. "Sorry, Ollie. I know you saved me, but-" She began.

"It's okay. I know you need space... Just take this please." He handed her a baby blanket with her name on it. "I've learned a lot about magic and how it works, and I think it will keep you safe. Mom may not have openly used magic, but she poured her energy and love into this, and that's a kind of magic on its own."

Lucy always felt cold anyway, so she shrugged. It was a little small, but it would still be nice to snuggle. "Okay. You can't have too many blankets."

Ollie looked relieved. "Ollie... I still think Katie's a bitch," Lucy said.

"She picked a fight with you. You're not wrong. Katie just has to be right. I'm sorry I didn't want to take sides," Ollie said. "I was wrong."

Lucy nodded at him before heading away to get her things.

JASON

The hardest thing in the world was watching his daughter leave. He'd barely found her, and now she had decided she hated all of them and she was going to live with Sellie. He wasn't even sure how to explain it to his sons.

Ollie tried to reassure him that everything would be fine, but he found that hard to believe. Vinny took the news silently. He'd just started to talk more, attaching to Lucy quickly, and Jason was worried this was too much for him. He could tell Vinny's Depression was coming back full-force when, the next day, he still wouldn't speak or come out of his room.

Robby's reaction had hit him pretty hard. He'd nearly started to cry, convinced he'd somehow done something wrong until Jason patiently explained it wasn't his fault. As tough as Robby might be, he was still a baby. Jason knew his youngest was unable to understand what was going on.

Luke had been devastated. "It's my fault," he said. "I refused to take sides between her and Katie, and she's my twin... I should have just taken her side."

"Luke, no," Jason said. "You shouldn't have been in the middle to begin with. Lucy's new to this world. She's never dealt with people like this, and we overwhelmed her with the whole family thing. She was being told she was supposed to trust us, but she didn't really know us, and I know I screwed up... I should have realized we were upsetting her... But none of this is your fault. At all."

Luke didn't seem to believe him, but he nodded and walked away. Jason sighed. That was when the doorbell rang. Sage stood on the other side.

"I can tell you're upset," she said. "What's wrong?"

"Lucy left... She decided she doesn't want to live with us, and Sellie took her in," Jason explained.

Sage's eyes went wide. "Why would she leave? What happened?"

"Katie happened." He regretted his words immediately. He shouldn't be blaming Katie. He loved that girl like she was his daughter... But Lucy actually was his daughter and now she was gone because Katie had found it appropriate to pick a fight with a traumatized eleven-year-old.

Sage frowned. "What did my cousin do?" She asked.

Jason explained the situation and Sage looked furious. "I'll talk to her."

"Sage, that's not your job. I'm not sticking you in the middle of this. She's your family."

"Look, I love Katie, okay? But she's out of control. This isn't the first time Katie's done something stupid, but she just chased your kid off. Someone's got to tell her she was wrong, and no one ever does. Everyone just lets her get away with everything."

"Sage-"

"No. Everyone always makes excuses for her. Katie beat someone up? Oh, she must have had a reason! Katie teleported out of jail and left the country? Oh, she's just impulsive! Katie killed someone? Oh, they must have deserved it! Katie doesn't listen to authority? Oh, that's so funny, like when she stole Saba! Katie ran away while the team was in crisis? Oh, she just needs space, but she's such a good leader!" Sage sighed. "I'm sick of everyone always excusing everything she does."

"Sage, Katie's a good person."

"At her core, yeah, she has good intentions, but she's selfish, Jason. She's a brat. Uncle Tommy never disciplined her, and as much of an evil bitch as Aunt Kat was, at least she tried to. Katie refused to listen to her mom way before we knew she was evil and Uncle Tommy just let her get away with it. He'd laugh it off, or say 'that's just Katie.' She ran away to be with her boyfriend no one even knew about while she was supposed to be in jail and Tommy let it go! He didn't punish her."

"Mark deserved to get his ass kicked."

"He did. Just like Zeke's mom deserved to die. I don't deny that, and I know damn well Katie killed her. That's okay, I wanted to do the same thing... But I didn't, because I try not to kill. Ever. Torment psychologically? Sure, that was karma... But Katie's first answer is destroy the problem, and that's not just when it comes to abusive parents... She destroys first and asks questions later."

"I feel bad talking about her like this... She's Katie, you know? She's Tommy's baby girl."

"And she's out of control. No one ever puts her in line. It's got to stop, Jason."

"What are you planning?"

"I'm going to try talking to her, but if that doesn't work, I'm going to make sure Uncle Tommy handles this." She gave him a hug. "I'm sorry about Lucy. Sellie will protect her. She's great with kids... And I'm sure she'll come back eventually."

"I hope you're right," Jason said. He suspected Sage might just be telling him what she knew he needed to hear to keep his sanity. He sighed. "I think I need to call Rocky."

"You want a drink." She said it as a statement, not a question.

"I do... But I'm not going to give in to that. The kids need me... And I'm never screwing up like that again."

"I can have Troy come by and stay with the boys for a bit so you can do whatever you need to do."

"Thanks. I'd appreciate that." He hugged her.

As soon as Sage left, he called Rocky and set up plans to go to a meeting. He would get through this. He had to.

SAGE

She spotted Katie walking home and grabbed her. "What the hell were you thinking?" She demanded.

"Um... Hi, Sage. What did I do?" Katie asked.

"You picked a fight with a little girl and she ran away from the family she's barely been back with."

"Wait, what?"

"Lucy decided she doesn't want to have anything to do with Jason and her brothers because they all either defended you or refused to take sides."

Katie frowned. "Look, it was just a stupid argument-"

"One you shouldn't have had, Katie! She's eleven! She's never been around anyone who wasn't trying to hurt her before and you made her think she's not safe with her family."

"I didn't make her family defend me."

"You created the situation, Katie!"

"Look, Sage, back off, okay? I screwed up. Fine. I'll talk to her."

"No, you won't. You're going to stay away from Jason and the boys, too."

"You can't tell me what to do."

"They don't want to see you."

"Well, that might explain why Ollie had the nerve to text me and curse me out. I was wondering. Can you believe that?"

"You deserved worse. You're lucky Ollie didn't come kick your ass."

"Ollie wouldn't hit a girl. Besides, I can take him."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. He's gotten a lot stronger recently."

"Either way, cursing me out with no explanation was rude."

"Rude? Gods, Katie, you chased his sister off!"

"You're overreacting. And you're my cousin. How could you not have my back? I always have yours! I'm always here for you, covering your ass, and you couldn't defend me? What the hell, Sage?"

"You're the one who's constantly running off! You teleported out of jail! You run away constantly! You left us when the team was vulnerable and we didn't have all of the Power Coins! You abandoned the team to go throw a tantrum because you were angry at your father!"

"I'm not the only one who's needed the other leader to step up! I covered the team for weeks when you vanished!"

"Katie, I was knocked back in time! That wasn't my fault, and after everything I went through in that time, if you think it was some sort of vacation, you're delusional!"

"I went to Japan because I had to get out of that prison, and I didn't come back because I knew something was wrong with my mother and I refused to deal with her. The other times I left, it was basically to help Andros-"

"Don't even try that! You were in Corinth playing with the Turbo Falconzord because you were mad at your father, and you weren't helping anyone that time! You weren't here when-" Sage stopped herself as her pain hit her. She took a deep breath. "I planned my mother's funeral while you were throwing a tantrum."

"I came back as soon as Aunt Casey told me she was dead."

"For your dad, yeah... And as soon as the funeral was over, you were basically gone again."

"Andros needed me, and I needed to train with a weapon that was too dangerous to use here until I could control it properly."

"And you didn't come back."

"Jayden almost died! Was I just supposed to leave him?"

"And after he was healed?"

"His team needed help."

"His team could have handled their battle themselves. They're extremely good at what they do. You didn't need to be there, Katie. You needed to be here, with your team, who were all broken." Sage shook her head. "You don't act like a leader, Katie. Not unless you can get some glory out of it. I'm done with you." Sage walked away, not letting Katie say anything else, and tracked her uncle down.

"Uncle Tommy... You need to do something about your daughter," Sage said bluntly.

"What do you mean?" Tommy asked.

"I'm locking you and Katie in your house and you're not getting out until Katie gets her head out of her ass." Sage explained things. Tommy had the good grace to look horrified.

"Is she... Is she really that bad?" He asked.

"Yes. And she has been for a while, but chasing away a scared little girl and breaking Jason and the boys? That's where I draw the line. Fix this."

Tommy promised he would, but Sage wasn't sure he could at this point. Katie had been out of control for too long. On top of that, Sage had a sense of something coming... She felt like she was missing something. She hoped she was wrong, but her intuition was screaming at her that the trouble had only just begun.

THE NEXT DAY.

GIA

She was surprised when Sage came toward her. "Hi, Sage," she said. "What's up?"

"Gia, I need a favor," Sage said.

"Sure. Name it."

"My cousin's on lockdown. I magically sealed her and my uncle in his room. My dad's babysitting to make sure they don't find a way to escape and to bring them food every so often. That bedroom has a bathroom, so they don't really need anything else... Anyway, Uncle Tommy's getting nowhere right now, so this may take a while, and I know my cousin... Even if she can't access her morpher or her Power Coin, she's smart. She'll think of the Turbo Falconzord. I need you to keep it busy."

Gia didn't bother asking why Katie had been magically grounded. She assumed Sage had had a good reason, and honestly, she didn't like Katie much. The girl was great in battle, but she was kind of bitchy, and she'd been awful to Emma. Gia didn't take well to people making her best friend upset. "Okay. I can do that, no problem."

"You're the only person who's as bonded with it as Katie is. I know it'll stay with you if you give it something to do."

"I'll go sightseeing," Gia joked. She did have a lot of experience with that Zord. She'd been bonded to it since before Katie had even known it existed. She hated the way Katie acted like it was her own personal Zord and used it for whatever idea popped into her head at any given moment. That Zord wasn't like others. It was completely self-aware and did whatever it felt like doing. It deserved respect.

"Good. I'll let you know when you can stop... And obviously, if Troy calls you because he needs backup, come back."

"Will do." Gia paused. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just furious. Katie's been out of control for a long time. I hate that it's come to this."

When Sage left, Gia called the Zord to her. "Hey, Buddy," she said cheerfully. "Let's go for a ride. You choose the location." The Zord seemed thrilled with her suggestion. As soon as she was safely inside, it sped off and took her to another land. Gia looked around, surprised when she saw a man standing amongst wolves. He stared at the Zord as it landed. The guy was majorly cute, but Gia was happily taken by Jake, so she wouldn't do more than appreciate his looks from a respectful distance. He did seem familiar, but she couldn't quite place him.

"Who are you? Why have you come?" The guy demanded, pulling a sword out. Gia's eyes went wide. This was where the Turbo Falconzord had decided to go?

"Hi," Gia said smoothly. "My name's Gia, and I'm just visiting. Who are you?"

He glared at her. "What are you up to?"

"Sightseeing."

"How did you even find this place?"

Gia frowned, then realized where she was. "Oh wow... Animarium," Gia said aloud.

"How do you know of this land?" The man asked suspiciously.

Gia sighed. "I come in peace," she promised before morphing. The man stared at her.

"You are a Power Ranger?" He asked.

"I am. Do you believe me now?"

"How do I know this isn't some sort of trick?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a little bit paranoid?" Gia asked with a laugh as she dropped her morph.

"It's not paranoia. It's too many centuries of experience."

"Centuries?" He didn't look centuries old. "Are you immortal?"

"I'm... Complicated." He paused, apparently still trying to decide whether or not to trust her. "My name is Merrick," he finally admitted.

"Merrick. The Lunar Wolf Ranger?"

He became suspicious again, aiming his sword at her. "How do you know me?" He demanded.

"I'm from the Megaforce Rangers... You helped my team in our big battle. Please stop aiming that at me. I'm not here to kill you. I'm just keeping the Turbo Falconzord busy so it doesn't get involved in an Oliver Family issue."

"Oliver? As in... Tommy Oliver?"

"Exactly."

Merrick lowered the sword. "You're a friend of Tommy's?"

"I am."

"Then you're a friend of mine." He extended his hand to her. Gia shook it. "Welcome."

"Thanks. Do you mind if I explore a bit? This place is so beautiful, and I didn't get to see enough of it when I was here with my team."

"Of course not. I'll show you around."

"Okay, I don't know why you brought me here, Turbo Falconzord, but have fun. I'll be back. Don't leave me here, alright?" She knew the Zord would listen. She followed Merrick, eager for an adventure.

DILLON

He'd been pretty surprised when a Power Ranger from another realm contacted him, but he knew who she was. His team might live in Corinth, but they had done their homework on the other worlds. The Red Ranger of his team, Scott, had gone to the world that held most of the other teams to help out the Samurai Rangers once, and the rest of the RPM team had helped the Samurai team when they'd ended up in Corinth without their leader. Because of this, Dillon knew perfectly well who Sage Park was.

"I can fix your car so it's faster than Scott's," Sage said cheerfully.

"Okay, no offense, Sage... But we've never met. Why would you want to do that for me?" Dillon asked suspiciously.

"I like cars... Working on them calms me down, and I'm toying with something... I want to make sure my skills are sharp."

"Fair enough. You really think you can do that? Because Scott would hate it." He smirked as he imagined the look on his teammate's face. He liked Scott, but they'd been competing to see who had the faster car ever since he'd met him.

"Yeah, I'm sure. You can bring friends if you want... Summer and Ziggy, maybe? We're short a Ranger, so having extra backup wouldn't be a bad thing... We're expecting our big bads to come back soon."

"Why are you short a Ranger?"

"My co-leader has been put on a time out."

He didn't question that. Instead, he said, "Okay. I'm sure they'll come with me."

"Great. I'll have Zordon bring you guys here soon."

"You know we're not active Rangers anymore, right? Our morphers are locked up."

"That's okay. You can fight. That's all we need... And honestly, I don't plan on putting you guys to work... You can just help out if the need arises and you feel like it."

Dillon walked off to find his girlfriend and his best friend. Summer stood in the kitchen smiling at Doctor K. Dillon hadn't considered that Doctor K might not want them to leave. Although they were technically no longer needed, they still worked as members of Corinth's police force without their Ranger powers.

"Doctor K, if Summer, Ziggy, and I were to take a trip, would you object?" Dillon asked. Summer looked at him questioningly.

"You've certainly earned some time off," Doctor K said. "Where are you going?"

"The same realm Scott went to a while ago."

"Is there a problem?"

"They could use a little bit of backup, but we're mainly going because one of their Rangers wants to work on my car."

"Can't Flynn do it?"

"He can, but she seems like she could use the distraction. It's Tommy Oliver's niece... Adam and Casey's daughter?"

"Alright. Take Flynn and Tenaya with you."

"Why?"

"Tenaya's your sister. She should be with you. And Flynn... Well, if she's such a skilled mechanic, I'm sure they'd get along."

"Okay. Are you good with this, Summer?"

"Sure," Summer said with a smile. "I could use a vacation."

"I should ask Ziggy."

"Ziggy doesn't get a say," Doctor K said. "Just take him."

"Are you sick of your boyfriend already?" Summer teased her.

"He's not my boyfriend!" Doctor K blushed, her cheeks betraying the truth. Doctor K may have been their mentor, but she was younger than all of them and was still very much a teenage girl.

The twins, Gem and Gemma, stuck their heads in. "Doctor K and Ziggy, sitting-" Gem sang.

"In a-!" Gemma added.

"Tree!"

"K-I-S-"

"S-I-N-"

"G!" Gem finished. This was normal for the twins, who always spoke together, interrupting each other and completing each other's sentences.

"Shush, you two!" Doctor K scolded them. She made up a quick excuse and fled the kitchen, leaving the others laughing.

"She's-" Gemma began.

"Adorable," Gem added.

"Totally in love!"

"And he loves-"

"Her, too!'

Summer grinned. "Poor Doctor K," she said sympathetically.

Dillon shook his head. "I'm going to go find Ziggy and my sister," he said. "Can you track Flynn down?"

"Flynn's in his shop," Gemma said with no interruption from Gem. The one thing that seemed to separate Gem and Gemma into two people instead of one entity was the fact that Gemma was dating Flynn. This meant she occasionally knew where Flynn was when her brother did not.

"I'll talk to him," Summer said. She gave Dillon a quick kiss before running off to find their teammate.

A vacation, Dillon told himself. That's what this is. He had a feeling, however, that it wouldn't be that simple.

TWO DAYS LATER.

TOMMY

"Look, Punk, we've got to talk about this," Tommy said again.

"We talked," Katie said with a bored tone. "I get it. You're mad at me."

"Katie, it's more than that. You have to take responsibility for your actions."

"Fine! I'm sorry, okay?"

"That's not good enough this time."

"I can't believe you turned on me, too."

"Katie, it's not about turning on you-"

"Just leave me alone, Dad." Furious, she stormed off into the bathroom, the one place he couldn't follow her.

Tommy sighed. He sat down on his bed and tried to figure out what to do next. Katie was being impossible. He loved her, but she was acting more and more frustrating, and being backed into a corner, she'd started lashing out. He was the same way in that sort of situation, but this intervention was necessary and he knew it.

Something felt off. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but he knew trouble was coming. He grew anxious as he waited for Katie to return.

KATIE

She was looking in the mirror when suddenly, her reflection shifted. It had done that before, when Zell was messing with her, and Katie immediately became nervous. She was suddenly staring at her mother.

"Stop it..." She whispered.

"It's time," her body said. In the mirror, she could see her mother saying the words.

"Mom?"

"Sit back and let me drive, Katie," her mother said. That was when Katie lost control of everything. She suddenly understood... She'd been seeing her mother in the mirror for weeks, but she hadn't understood it... Until now. Katie was possessed. Her mother was back.

KAT

Possessing Katie had been a long process. Her daughter was nothing if not headstrong and stubborn, just like Tommy. Now, however, Kat finally had control. She took a deep breath and opened the bathroom door. Her husband stood on the other side looking concerned.

"Katie? Are you alright?" He asked.

Pure rage filled Kat. She lunged at Tommy, knocking him to the floor. "Katie! Katie, stop!" Tommy screamed. "Stop it!" He obviously didn't want to hurt his baby girl, so he didn't fight the way he should have, but he tried to get Kat off of him.

"Katie isn't home right now," Kat said. She laughed and Tommy's eyes widened with realization.

"Katherine?" He asked in horror.

"I'm back, Tommy," she said with a laugh. "Did you miss me?" She began smashing his head against the floor with supernatural strength. Tommy tried to free himself, but he was too hurt. Without touching him, she flung him across the room and against the wall. His head met the wall with a sickening crack that made Kat laugh more.

"Katie? Tommy? What's going on in there?" Adam demanded from outside of the room. Kat could hear him struggling with the lock. He burst into the room. Kat rushed at him, knocking him down the stairs hard. Adam landed awkwardly. He wasn't dead, but he was definitely seriously hurt. Kat calmly walked down the stairs toward her freedom. She stepped over Adam without so much as checking to see how much damage she'd done.

"Katie?" A voice asked in horror. It was Josh.

Kat laughed wickedly. She walked right up to him and groped him, sending him into an immediate confused panic. She kissed him hard. "Now, go run and hide, Josh," she said sweetly. "I know that's what you want to do." She groped him one last time for good measure. In complete shock, Josh fled to his bedroom and slammed the door shut. She could have killed him, but this was more fun, and Kat had once had a bit of a soft spot for the kid. Josh was as attractive as Billy, even if they both worked so hard to hide it, and she enjoyed being able to manipulate him because he was so traumatized by his life in foster care.

She continued making her way out of the house. It surprised her when she reached the front door and found it blocked. "No way, Katherine," Jayden said firmly. "You'll have to get through me."

Kat smiled. "You figured it out so quickly," she said. "I'm impressed."

"You're not leaving this house."

"Try me. I know Sage's parlor tricks. They're the same as Casey's. And since Adam opened the door to the bedroom, there's nothing sealing me in anymore."

Jayden began to cast a Kanji symbol. Kat felt like she couldn't breathe. She screamed before attacking him, knowing he'd just tried to exorcise her.

"Not so fast, little Samurai," Kat said. "I have a blood tie to Katie, remember? I'm not so easy to get rid of." She had knocked him down, so she ran toward the basement, where she knew there was another way to escape from the house.

Jayden chased after her, apparently tougher than he looked. He had morphed, and Kat was mildly impressed. No one else had thought to try that, and Adam and Josh both actively had the ability to do it. Of course, Adam hadn't had the time to. She'd known she had to knock him out fast or he'd have found a way to strengthen the spells on the house and keep her from escaping. He knew Sage and Casey's magic well enough to make it kick up a notch or two in an emergency.

"I can't let you leave," Jayden said steadily.

"I know." She laughed. "I also know you won't fight my daughter."

"You'd be surprised." With that, he attacked. He was careful not to do too much damage, but he was still attacking fiercely. Kat hadn't expected that. She'd assumed no one would be willing to risk seriously hurting Katie, least of all her boyfriend.

Kat fought back harder. She could hear Katie screaming in her head. Don't hurt him! She shouted. Please, Mom! Please don't do this!

As Kat's attacks grew stronger, Katie's protests turned to desperation. She begged her mother not to harm Jayden, to stop before it was too late. Finally, defeated, Katie simply wept hysterically, unable to stop her.

Kat looked down at Jayden. He was still fighting, even though he was bloody, bruised, and broken. He'd been knocked out of his morph at some point. He had nothing left, but he still fought.

As she brought down a final blow, she watched Jayden cast one last Kanji. It did nothing to her, but as soon as she hit him, he lost consciousness. She was certain he was going to die. As Katie's anguish over this fact hit her, Kat laughed and walked calmly out of the house.

SAGE

She wasn't completely stunned when Katie attacked her. She had expected some sort of retaliation for locking her cousin up, especially since she'd had a talk with everyone, including Zordon, and decided Katie couldn't be a team leader anymore unless she proved she'd earned the right. Sage was currently trying to figure out who could fill in as her co-leader. Thorn could do it, but he hated playing the role of team leader. She knew it wouldn't be fair to ask him.

"You bitch! You turned everyone against me!" Katie screamed, but there was something odd about it.

Sage defended herself. She didn't know how Katie had gotten out of the house, but it didn't matter at that point. She had to stop her. She could worry about how she'd gotten by Tommy and her father later.

Katie nearly got in a cheap shot that would have seriously hurt Sage, but she hesitated. Her face changed. Suddenly, she was crying.

"Sage... Help me," she begged.

"What?" Sage demanded.

"It's my mother, Sage... She's taken over... I can't fight her for long... Please, Sage... Stop me."

Sage realized with horror that her cousin was serious. Katie might be a bitch on her own, but Kat made her downright evil. "I will," Sage promised. With that, she cast a spell to knock Katie unconscious.

"Koda carry?" Koda asked, seeing Katie on the ground. Sage wasn't even vaguely surprised he'd shown up. Koda always seemed to know when she needed him lately.

"Yeah... My spell will keep her knocked out. Just bring her back to my uncle's house... I'm not sure what we'll find there," Sage said. She led the way.

Koda cautiously placed Katie on the couch in the living room as they entered the house. Sage immediately saw her father at the bottom of the stairs. "Dad!" She cried. She rushed to his side. He wasn't conscious, but he was breathing and his pulse was steady. "Thank Gods..." She mumbled.

Kenny walked in the door right after with Kimberly. "Oh my God!" Kimberly said, seeing Sage's father. She immediately knelt beside him.

"What happened?" Kenny asked.

"Katie escaped... And she's possessed by Katherine," Sage said.

"What? Are you serious?"

"Completely. I knocked her out and trapped both Katie and Kat inside of the body, unconscious until I say otherwise. We just got here. Someone needs to check on Uncle Tommy."

Her father began to come around as Sage sent healing energy toward him. He groaned. "Sage?" He asked. Then, he seemed to remember what had happened. "Katie-"

"I know. It's okay. She's unconscious... Possessed, but unconscious."

"Possessed?" He hesitated. "Oh no... Katherine?"

"Bingo." Sage sighed. "Dad, where's Uncle Tommy?"

"He was upstairs... I heard them struggling... I think he's hurt."

Kimberly led the bunch of them as they ran upstairs. "Tommy!" She cried in alarm as she spotted him crumpled against the wall. He was bleeding from his head.

"We need healers," Sage said. "I can only do so much." Sage was learning to admit her limits and not exhaust herself.

"I call Zedd," Koda offered.

"Good. Do that," Sage said. "And stay downstairs with Katie. If she stirs, knock her out. I don't care if you have to take a club to her head."

Koda ran off to do as he was told. "Uncle Tommy... Uncle Tommy, wake up," Sage called. He didn't respond.

"I'll call an ambulance," Kimberly offered.

"No... No, we can't explain what happened. Just let Zedd heal him."

Sure enough, Zedd showed up a minute later. "Koda made it sound urgent," he explained. Then he saw Tommy. "That's a lot of blood... But it's a head injury. They tend to bleed a lot. Don't worry. I can heal him." He knelt beside Tommy and set to work as Sage tried not to have a complete meltdown. Her cousin was possessed and had nearly killed her uncle and her father. She didn't even know how to begin to process that.

KENNY

He realized Josh should have been there. Quickly, Kenny walked down the hall. He knocked on Josh's door. When no one answered, he forced it open. The lock wasn't very strong and he knew that. He found Josh curled up on his bed rocking.

"Josh... Are you okay?" He asked. Josh didn't look at him and Kenny knew he was completely freaking out. He gently tried to touch him, but Josh took a swing at him. "Josh, it's me. It's Kenny. Calm down," he said patiently. Josh was his best friend and Godbrother. He was also going to become his step-brother, a fact Kenny was still trying to wrap his head around. His mother and Billy had only told him that a day before. Regardless, Kenny was desperate to help Josh now.

"She... She touched me..." Josh whispered.

"What? Who did, Josh? Was it Katie?"

Josh started rocking harder. "Josh, that wasn't Katie... She's possessed. It's Kat... Katie would never hurt you. You know that."

"She touched me..." Josh whispered again.

Kenny sighed. He knew he needed help on this one, so he called Taylor. "Hello?" Taylor answered.

"Taylor, it's Kenny. I need you to come over... Josh needs you," Kenny told him.

"I'll be right there," Taylor promised.

Kenny carefully closed Josh's door and went back to the others, but almost immediately, he realized something was wrong. "Adam... Adam, where's Jayden? Was he home?"

Adam paled. "He was downstairs when Katie... I mean when Kat attacked me," he said.

Kenny had a bad feeling. "Stay with Tommy... I'm going to go find Jayden," he said. He hurried downstairs. There was no sign of Jayden, so Kenny kept walking until he saw that the door to the basement was open. Cautiously, he started to walk down the stairs. "Jayden? Jayden, are you down here?" He asked. There was no response.

He kept going until he reached the bottom of the stairs. That was when he spotted Jayden lying in a pool of blood. There was so much of it, he was positive Jayden must be dead. Terror consumed him at that thought, but he knew he had to check if there was any chance that Jayden had survived. He knew if Jayden died, they'd never get Katie back.

He knelt beside him and checked for a pulse. To his great relief, there was one, but it was faint, and he quickly realized that Jayden wasn't breathing.

"Jayden!" He said desperately. Keeping as level a head as he could, Kenny began CPR. He kept that up for over a minute before Jayden finally began breathing again. He still didn't regain consciousness, and his injuries were clearly extremely severe. Kenny knew if he didn't get help soon, he would die for real this time.

"Help!" Kenny shouted as loud as he could. "I need help! Jayden's hurt!"

To his surprise, it was Taylor who stuck his head in. "Kenny?" He called.

"Taylor! Jayden's really hurt... He's barely breathing."

Taylor rushed to his side. "Shit..." He mumbled, seeing all the blood. "What the hell happened?"

"Katie, technically... Her mother possessed her and escaped from the house. Sage knocked her out, but the damage was already done... Taylor, can you help him? Katie will never forgive herself if... If he..."

"He won't die," Taylor promised. "I'll find a way to heal him... What's going on with Josh?"

"I think Kat did something... He just keeps saying she touched him."

"Is he hurt?"

"Not physically."

Taylor nodded. "Then Jayden has to take priority. He's dying... I'll help Josh after."

"Thank you."

"No problem." He focused his energy and began doing whatever it was that he did to heal. Kenny was amazed as Jayden's wounds began to heal. His breathing became stronger and slowly evened out. Soon, the only proof that he'd nearly died was the blood staining the floor and his clothes.

Taylor frowned. "He's healed, but I can't wake him up... He did something... Put himself into some kind of magical coma, I think. It kept him alive, but it's not magic I'm familiar with... I can't break it."

"I'll see if Tommy's awake. If he is, I'll get Mentor Ji's information and call him to come help," Kenny said. "Go take care of Josh... And thank you."

"No problem."

"Tell Koda I need to borrow him. I'm not sure if I can get Jayden upstairs on my own."

Taylor nodded before leaving to do that and go comfort Josh. A minute later, Koda appeared. "Oh..." Koda said as he saw the blood. "Is he... alive?"

"He is," Kenny assured him. "Taylor healed him. I just need help to move him."

Koda nodded and picked Jayden up like he weighed nothing before bringing him upstairs. He carried him to the room he usually slept in, Katie's room.

"Oh Gods..." Sage whispered, seeing this.

"He's alive," Kenny promised. "Seriously hurt, but alive... I got him breathing again, and Taylor healed him."

Tommy groaned as he came around. "Well, that hurt," he mumbled.

"Uncle Tommy!" Sage said with relief. She hugged him.

"Ouch! Not so tight," Tommy said. "I'm still sore." He looked at Zedd and paused. "You saved my life, didn't you?" He asked.

"I did," Zedd confirmed. "You were in bad shape, but you'll be fine now."

"I... Thank you... Zedd," Tommy said awkwardly. Kenny couldn't even imagine how strange it was for Tommy to be thanking him.

Koda went back downstairs to guard Katie, or Kat, or whoever she was currently. Kenny could hear Josh talking to Taylor and knew he was starting to calm down.

"Tommy, where's your Ranger Book?" Kenny asked. He knew Tommy had a notebook with the contact information for pretty much every Power Ranger ever, or at least all of the ones he'd met.

"In the locked drawer on my desk... Key's in the jeans over there... Why do you ask?" Tommy asked.

"Taylor said Jayden used some kind of magic to put himself into a coma, I'm guessing to save himself... He didn't know how to break it. I figured I'd better call Ji."

Tommy nodded. "Go on. I'm sure Jayden needs his family right now anyway."

Kenny took the key and pulled out the book. He was about to leave to make the call when Sage stopped him. "Kenny... The way you acted today... The fact that you remained in a situation where even I started to freak out slightly... I think you'd be the best candidate to help me lead the team," she said.

Kenny stared at her in shock. "But... What about Zeke? He's the Red Ranger," he protested.

"Zeke is amazing, but he's still recovering. He knows he's not up to leading the team. He admitted as much to me. He's just happy to be back on the team at all..."

"Thorn could-"

"Thorn doesn't want to."

"Maddie, then. She screams leader."

"Maddie's still learning to cope with being on two teams, Kenny. She can't handle being the leader. You proved today that you're more than qualified."

"But I'm the Pink Ranger... Pink Rangers are never team leaders."

"Not true. Jen Scotts is the Pink Time Force Ranger and she's the team leader. She's amazing at it. There's no rule that says only specific colors are meant to lead, Kenny... And today, you showed more leadership than anyone else. I'd proud of you and I know you can do it."

"Anyone would have-"

"You want to argue that? Fine. What about at the ropes course? You were the only one who was able to rescue Taylor. You kept a cool head, you assessed the situation, you took a crazy but calculated risk and you brought him back to safety. I don't know anyone who could have done that besides you. There's no one I'd rather have by my side when it comes to taking care of the team, because that's the thing... Pink Rangers care deeply about other people. You were willing to put your own safety aside for someone else. You did it when you saved Angie from Rito. You had no powers and you still saved her. You have the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met and you always put others first. That is a lesson Katie never learned... One that's important in a leader."

He hesitated. "Can I think about it?"

"Of course."

He nodded. Then, he said, "You know what? I'll do it."

"You will?" Sage looked relieved.

"You're right. I handled this. I can handle anything."

She smiled. "I'll tell Zordon and the rest of the team later."

Kenny hadn't expected this, but now he knew it was for the best. If there was one thing he knew was true it was that he'd do anything to protect the people he loved.

JI

He picked up his phone nervously, sensing trouble. "Yes?" He answered.

"Mentor Ji? This is Kenny... I'm one of Katie's teammates?" Kenny began.

"Yes, Kenny, I know who you are. What can I do for you?"

"Mentor, something very serious has happened... Katie's possessed, and she attacked several people... Including..."

"Jayden." Ji sighed. He could tell Jayden was hurt. "How bad is it?"

"Well, Taylor healed him, but he's in some sort of magical coma..."

"There is a Kanji for that. It's only to be used in the most extreme of times, when death is certain... It sends one so deep inside of themselves that they are protected from mortal harm. Although I taught him the symbol, I had hoped he would never need to use it..."

"But he'll wake up, right? You can fix him?"

"I must reach out to him... Only Jayden can wake himself, but I should be able to let him know it is safe to come back." Ji didn't add how difficult that Kanji was to break.

When he hung up, he knew he needed backup. Jayden would need more than just him. "Lauren, something's happened," Ji told her.

"It's Jayden... Isn't it?" Lauren asked.

"Yes. He was mortally wounded, but he survived. He's healed now, but the Kanji he cast is difficult to break."

"I understand. What can we do?" As always, Lauren had flipped off her emotions to do whatever needed to be done. She was extremely disciplined, but Ji knew how much she loved Jayden and how scared she must be.

"I must leave Shiba House to go help him. As you know, we cannot leave it unprotected. I need you to stay here."

"Of course." She nodded.

After he reassured her that Jayden would be fine, he began making phone calls. Emily answered immediately. "Mentor!" She cried happily. "How are you? How's Jayden, and Lauren?"

"Jayden is hurt, Emily," Ji said, hating to upset her.

Her tone immediately changed. "How bad is he?" She asked.

"He nearly died, but he will survive. The problem is, he cast a very powerful Kanji, and he needs help to wake back up."

"We'll come," another voice said.

"You don't need to come, Mike," Ji said.

"It's Jayden," Emily insisted. "We're coming to help."

"Very well. Get to Angel Grove as quickly as you can. Use the teleportation Kanji if you think you can."

"I can," Emily said.

"I can't," Mike said with a laugh, "so I'll ride in with Emily."

Ji called Kevin next. Of course, he immediately insisted on joining them. Mia was no different. Then, Ji made the one call he was truly dreading. "Mentor Ji! What's up, what's up, what's up?" Antonio asked cheerfully.

"Antonio." Ji only said his name, but he put a lot of stress on the word.

"What happened to Jayden?" Antonio asked knowingly.

Ji explained and Antonio also said he'd join them. Ji hadn't planned on reuniting the team, but it seemed he had no choice in the matter. Besides, having all of them around could only help Jayden return to them quicker.

JAYDEN

The Kanji had been unexpectedly powerful. Jayden had known it was his only chance at surviving. While he was willing to attack Katie's body if he had to, he knew she could take it. She'd recover eventually, and she was tough... Killing her was a different story, and he knew he'd never be able to cross that final line. If it came down to killing her or dying, Jayden loved her too much to do what he needed to win the fight. Instead, he'd done the only thing he could and fled so deep into the astral plane, he might never find his way back to his body. The magic kept his body alive, but it wasn't guaranteed to last and if someone didn't find him soon enough, he'd still die. This was a stop gap, the last desperate measure he could take before he died.

Suddenly, he heard a distant sound. "Jayden... Jayden, come back to me..." The voice was saying.

"Mentor?" Jayden asked in confusion. How was Ji with him?

"You must return, Jayden. It is safe now. It's over. Come home."

Jayden wanted to, but he couldn't find his way. He could feel Ji reaching for him, but he couldn't quite grasp his hand.

"Jayden, we are here," Kevin's voice said firmly.

"We're right by your side, Buddy," Antonio added. He sensed him touching his shoulder.

"Please, Jayden... Please come back to us," Mia said softly. He could almost feel her stroking his hair.

"Come on, Jayden... You can't leave us unsupervised. We need you, Man," Mike said.

Jayden tried to reach them, but instead, he seemed to be falling further away. "He's hyperventilating," he could hear Kevin saying. "Something is wrong!"

"His pulse is racing," Mia added.

"Jayden... Jay, come on..." Antonio said, the fear obvious in his voice.

"He's going into distress," Ji said. "We're losing him."

"Jayden!" A final voice cried. "Don't you dare, Jayden! You're not allowed to leave us!" Emily was sobbing. He could almost feel her... Suddenly, he did feel something... Moisture on his hand as her tears fell on it, and then he felt Emily, squeezing his hand. "Come back to us, Jayden!"

Although he'd sensed the others, this was the first time he could physically feel anyone. He squeezed her hand back. "Jayden? He hears me!" Emily cried out. "You can do this, Jayden... You can find your way back."

Slowly, Jayden followed the sound of her voice, not letting go. Finally, he connected fully to his body. He opened his eyes and blinked because the light hurt.

"He's waking up!" Emily told the others.

"Yeah! That's my boy!" Antonio shouted.

"Thank God..." Mia whispered.

"Welcome back, Jayden," Ji said.

"Ji... How...?" Jayden asked.

"Katie is possessed by her mother. She attacked you rather severely. Do you remember?"

"I do... Is she... Is she okay?"

"Sage knocked her out. She's safe, and she's unconscious."

Jayden nodded. He still felt incredibly weak. "Are you okay?" Emily asked him.

"I will be," he promised, although he wasn't sure that was true. Katie was unconscious and possessed, and she'd tried to kill him. He wasn't sure anything would ever be okay again. "Are the others alright?"

"Adam and Tommy will be fine. They've been healed. Josh is a bit traumatized, but he's pretty calm," Ji said. "The others weren't home when she attacked."

Jayden nodded. "How are you all here?" He asked.

"Kenny called me. When I informed the team you were hurt, they all insisted on coming with me. Your sister sends her love. She's quite worried about you."

"I'll call her in a bit... I just need to clear my head first."

"Just rest. I'll call Lauren. You can talk to her when you're feeling better."

Jayden nodded again. He knew he needed rest. The Kanji had taken a lot of strength to cast. He wouldn't be at his full power for a while. He had to admit, it was nice to have the team again, even if he hadn't wanted to interrupt them from what they'd all been doing. They'd all just barely gone back to their old lives, yet they'd dropped everything to help him. He was a very lucky guy. He tried to focus on that and not worry about Katie. What if they never got her back? What if she was too traumatized by what her mother had done to return to who she'd been before? Yes, Katie had needed to be put in line for her behavior. Even Jayden could see that she often did things she shouldn't... But he loved her, and he had to believe that he'd get her back. Any other possibility was unacceptable.

ONE DAY LATER.

GIA

She'd gotten the call from Sage that she didn't need to keep the Turbo Falconzord busy for much longer because Katie had been knocked out and trapped in a sleeping spell. She was planning to return when the Zord had other plans. It took off before she could even register what was happening, and it didn't stop until it landed in Corinth. She knew that's where they were purely because the Zord showed her as much.

Gia carefully stepped out of the Zord. "Okay," she said. "Why did you bring me here?" She got her answer when she saw someone breaking into a safe. "Hey! Stop that!" She cried out.

He spun around and Gia stared at him in confusion. "Jack Landors?" She asked. The former... or future, if you were being technical... Red SPD Ranger looked at her.

"Who the hell are you?" He demanded.

"I'm Gia... The Yellow Megaforce Ranger... You helped my team once... Or, you will... Or... Damn time travel. You're from the future. I don't know what tense to use, but we've met, briefly, and I know all about your team from our files."

Jack scowled at her before lunging. Gia was stunned by the attack, but she reacted quickly, trying to defend herself. She tried to remember Jack's story... He'd been a thief. She knew that much. SPD had taken him onto their team and made him their leader, and he wasn't one of the bad guys. What the hell was going on?

As Gia's head hit the floor, she realized Jack held a Red Morpher in his hand, but it wasn't the SPD morpher. "Wait! Why are you trying to steal Scott's morpher?" She demanded.

"Venjix!" Was all he said. He hit her again, and Gia knew she wasn't going to get any more answers. She fought back hard, even trying to morph, but he prevented that by knocking her morpher away from her. Gia still wasn't a pushover. She could fight with or without her Ranger powers. She did everything in her power to stop him from leaving because she knew whatever the Zord had brought her there for was important. Jack couldn't be allowed to escape. She also knew what Venjix was, and if Jack got away with it in his possession, it would mean nothing but trouble.

She kicked him hard in the shin. He hit the floor and let out a cry of rage before getting up and rushing toward her. His attack was almost animalistic. The lights were on, but nobody was home, and Gia knew she was screwed. He knocked the wind out of her. As she recovered, Jack picked up something that looked awfully heavy and flung it at her head. Gia tried to get out of the way, but it still hit her. She lay on the floor, trying to find a way to fight back, and he came at her again, smashing her head against the floor repeatedly until she blacked out.

DIVATOX

The Red Ranger who appeared before her looked like he was in a trance. "Hello, Jack," she said pleasantly. "I see Zell did a number on you. Thanks for the present." She grinned and sent him on his way. She knew Zell would transport him back to his time where, hopefully, he'd remember nothing.

She knelt beside the robot in front of her. "Well, here goes," she said. She took a deep breath and transferred the pulsing energy from the morpher into the robot. To her shock, he sat up.

"Where am I?" He demanded.

"You live!" Divatox cried with joy. "Thanks to me, that is. I'm Divatox, and you and I are going to be working together, King Mondo."

"Divatox... Yes, I remember you... But... I feel strange."

"You've got a virus in you. Don't be alarmed... He's pure evil and he's going to help us rebuild your empire."

"Yes... The Machine Empire shall rise again!" Mondo declared.

"The virus is called Venjix, and it's self-aware."

"Venjix? As in my General?"

"No, General Venjix got wiped out by an army of Red Rangers a while back. This is something else. It was created in a land called Corinth, and it's very deadly. It's weak right now, but it had enough strength to reanimate you."

"Where is my Queen? And Sprocket?"

"Queen Machina will be revived next... And the brat's in the corner."

"My son is not a brat!"

"Have you met him? Whatever. I didn't plan on reviving him, but-"

"You will do it. Or I will destroy you."

"Try it, Mondo. I'm stronger than you are right now, and you owe me your life. I know how to disable you if you get in my way. I'll restore Sprocket's life if and when I decide he's of use to me."

"He is helpful, Divatox. We need him."

"Prove it."

"Allow me to show you the things he has done... And then, help me restore my Empire. You need us united. We are strongest together."

Divatox relaxed. She knew he was right, and she liked the idea of commanding their entire Empire. "Let's get started..."

SAGE

She knew something was wrong when Troy told her, "Gia hasn't answered my calls... She's missing."

"I'm sure she's okay," Sage said. "Maybe she's just in an area we can't reach?"

"Mom... I know Gia. She wouldn't disappear like this," Troy insisted.

"Okay. Let me try to track her down." She focused until she sensed Gia. "She's in Corinth," she said after a minute. "I guess the Zord went home."

"Mom... She'd have checked in by now. Please. We have to go after her."

"I'll go. You stay here with your team."

She didn't let him argue. Instead, she focused all of her energy on teleporting to Corinth. She'd have had Tia send her through a portal, but she suspected there wasn't time. She was proven correct when she spotted Gia lying on the ground severely wounded.

"Oh Gods..." She whispered. She checked for a pulse. Gia still had one. She started to stir, groaning. "Don't try to talk," Sage advised her.

"Venjix..." Gia got out.

"What?"

"Venjix... He... He has it."

Suddenly, Sage knew they were in trouble. "Who does, Gia? Who has Venjix?"

"Jack."

"Jack?" Sage tried to remember who that was.

"SPD... Red."

Sage knew Jack had once been a thief. She also knew that, if someone found him before SPD did, he might have been influenced. The time of SPD and the realm they existed in had a lot of technology. If Jack had brought Venjix there, there was no time to waste.

Sage got Gia to Colonel Mason Truman, explaining what she'd said since Gia had fallen unconscious again. "We'll get her the treatment she needs... But how could someone have stolen Venjix? It was destroyed," he said.

"I think part of it was in the Red Ranger's morpher. I saw it." Sage had caught the slightest flash of a vision to tell her that much.

"That was my son's morpher."

"I know. Colonel, I need to find out if it's really gone. If SPD is exposed to Venjix, it could wipe them out. They're entirely technology based."

Five minutes later, Sage heard an alarmed voice cry out, "No! No, no, no... This can't be happening."

"Doctor K?" Colonel Truman asked.

"It's gone, Colonel. Someone stole it. I don't know how... My safe is unbreakable." Doctor K frowned at them as she considered this, and Sage thought something about her features was oddly familiar. She couldn't dwell on that for the moment.

"I have to go after Jack. He'll infect the entire future if I don't," Sage said.

"We'll take care of Gia," Colonel Truman promised.

"I'll come back for her soon." Sage paused. "Doctor K... I think this has to do with my world. Several of your Rangers are there, and I have a feeling there's a reason I felt compelled to invite them... Can you come with me? For one, if SPD has been infected, you can help stop it. For another, I'll need you to make sure Venjix is not in my world."

Doctor K looked very much like a scared teenager as she considered this. "I don't leave here," she said cautiously. "Ever."

"I know. I know you were never really allowed outside in general, let alone out of this world... But SPD will be destroyed, and my world might follow suit. Please. I need your help."

Doctor K sighed. "Okay," she agreed. "I'll come with you."

"Thank you."

They headed to SPD, where Anubis "Doggy" Cruger met them with a frown. "I received your message. You believe Jack did this?" he asked.

"Yes," Sage said. "I think someone influenced him... An evil entity named Zell comes to mind. He's the only one I know with enough power to pull this off."

Doggy brought Jack to them. He looked like himself, but Sage suspected that was because he had no memory of what had happened. "He doesn't have the morpher," Doctor K said after a minute. "He is, however, slightly infected with the Venjix virus. It's a small amount. I can remove it."

Jack looked petrified. "What do you think I've done?" He asked.

"You stole a very powerful, very dangerous virus from my home, Corinth. It can infect any and all technology. Jack, I need you to think... Where did you take the morpher?"

"I don't remember any of this," Jack insisted.

Doctor K tested his energy field with some of her technology. "He's been in your world," she said. "He must have given it to someone."

"We have to get to my world," Sage said, suddenly very worried. "We'll get Gia, grab the rest of your team, and go back there."

Doctor K nodded. "There's no time to waste," she agreed.

"Thanks for your help, Doggy," Sage said before taking Doctor K and leaving. She'd have to wait until Gia was healed enough to be safely moved, but she suspected it wouldn't take long. The beating had been bad, but Gia was tough. She would survive. Sage just hoped the same could be said for the rest of their world.

THE NEXT DAY.

CALEB

Training with Caius had been productive that day. Caleb was getting much better with a sword and everyone's skills were getting sharper and sharper. He was walking home with Ollie when strange monsters attacked.

"What are those?" Caleb asked.

"Get behind me," Ollie said protectively, drawing his sword.

"What the... Cogs?" Someone asked as they joined the two of them.

"Rocky! You know these things?" Ollie asked.

"Yeah, sure. They were from the Machine Empire, which we destroyed, like, ages ago..." Rocky said, shaking his head. "Man, I knew I should have gone home another way."

"How do we fight them?" Caleb asked.

"You call the Rangers... Or just kick them. They're like the Machine Empire's equivalent of Putties... I have no idea how they're here." He kicked one in the chest and it fell apart. "Shit! My back can't take much of that... Does anyone have a water gun? Water shorts them out."

"Sorry, I left it in my other backpack," Ollie said dryly. He began attacking the Cogs, doing his best to take them out. "Caleb, just stay behind me, okay? I've got this."

"There's too many of them," Caleb pointed out.

"I don't want you to get hurt."

"I appreciate the thought, but-" Suddenly, Caleb stopped speaking as the world faded away.

There was blood everywhere. People stared at him with dead, accusing eyes. He could see them as they were brutally murdered, each in a way more horrifying than the last. His friends were being murdered. Thorn was ripped apart right in front of him. Caleb screamed as Zell laughed.

Caius appeared, looking as broken and lonely as ever. "You will be just like him," Zell said. "Left behind after everyone else is gone. It is your destiny."

"No!" Caleb cried.

"They will all die, my boy... Everyone you love... Your friends... This boy you love so much... Your family... Everyone," Zell taunted him.

"No! Don't hurt them!" Caleb screamed.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Caleb. You can save them. You have a choice to make."

"A... A choice?"

"If you agree to betray your team and work with me, I will spare them... I will spare Thorn. He will live a long, happy life, and he will be safe. All you have to do is agree to work with me. Turn evil, Caleb. If you do that, he will be safe. I will spare him. I will spare them all."

"You're lying."

"My word is binding. The boy will live, and he will be happy." Zell paused. "It is your choice, my boy. Choose wisely. I expect an answer soon. You have two days."

Caleb snapped out of the vision. He saw Caius standing there, having shown up at some point. Tears were streaming down Caleb's face. "Caleb... Tell me what you saw," Caius said gently.

"I... I have to go," Caleb said. He took off running, refusing to allow anyone to comfort him. He knew what he had to do.

ZEDD

He was surprised when he arrived at the place he currently called home and found Caleb standing outside. "Can we talk?" He asked.

Zedd nodded. "Of course," he said. "Come inside."

Caleb followed him. When Zedd closed the door, Caleb blurted out, "Was it worth it?"

Zedd stared at him in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

"The choice you made... Was it worth it? Would you do it again?"

Now, Zedd understood. "No," he said. "No, Caleb, I wouldn't. I'd believe in our love instead. I'd believe that, somehow, Xia and I could have stopped that vision from coming true."

Caleb nodded slowly. "Believe in love..." He mumbled.

"Caleb... Are you alright?"

"I... I should go."

"Caleb, stop. Please, talk to me. Did something happen? Did Zell... Did he offer you something?"

Caleb sighed. "He showed me something, Zedd... Something horrible."

"Tell me."

"He showed me everyone I love dying... And me being stuck behind, unable to stop them from being murdered... Alone forever, just like... Just like..."

"Like Caius?"

"Yes. And he... He showed me Thorn's death, and it was the worst one of all... Then he told me I could stop it... That if I chose to turn evil and work with him, he'd spare Thorn, and he wouldn't kill everyone..."

"Don't believe him, Caleb. There's always a catch with Zell... And I made the wrong choice. I know that now. I did it because I loved Xia more than anything, but it was the final straw that caused the Chosen to fail the first time."

"You're the only one I knew could understand..."

"I do understand. I know how hard this is... But you have to turn him down, Caleb. Don't give up what makes you who you are... You're a good soul, Caleb. Gentle, kind... He will destroy you if you let him, and more importantly, your team will fail."

"Thank you... I needed to know." Caleb turned around to leave.

"You don't have to go yet if you need a little while to calm down."

"No... I need to be with my parents. I need to see them right now."

"Of course. Go on. Good luck. You're doing the right thing."

As Caleb walked away, Zedd tried to shake off his own pain. The memories flooded back and he pushed them out of his mind. He went for a walk, deciding he needed to calm down. That was where he ran into someone.

He could smell him before he spotted him. Rito was sifting through a dumpster, looking for food most likely. He looked cold as he shivered in the rain that began pouring down. Zedd felt sorry for him. Rito had nothing left.

"Rito?" He asked. "Are you okay?"

Rito ignored him, trying to wrap himself in some old newspapers. Zedd walked down the block and purchased a couple of sandwiches and some coffee before returning to the dumpster. He knelt beside his former brother-in-law and offered them to him.

"Zedd?" Rito asked.

"It's Ze-" Zedd automatically began correcting him, but then he paused. "Wait... You called me Zedd."

"That's your name, isn't it?"

"But you..."

"Enjoyed busting your balls." Rito shrugged. "I didn't like how you treated her, so I annoyed you on purpose."

Zedd shook his head. "Wow. Well, anyway, I thought you looked hungry."

"I'm okay."

"Liar."

"I'm not your problem, Zedd."

"You're still family."

"Your marriage ended."

"Rito... She'd want me to look out for you."

Rito nodded after a moment. "Thanks." He began eating.

Zedd arrived at home at the same time as Sage. She had gotten back the day before and was working hard to make sure Venjix wasn't anywhere they needed to worry about. As Doctor K looked over their technology, she also put safeguards on anything that wasn't infected. So far, she hadn't found any traces of Venjix, but they knew it was somewhere.

"You look upset," Sage noticed.

"I saw Rito... He's a mess," Zedd admitted.

"That sucks."

"He's living on the street... He was starving and cold. I feel guilty, like I should be helping him."

Sage sighed. "Tell him if he bathes regularly, he's allowed to stay in the basement with you... If you are okay with that."

"What? You'd do that?"

"He's harmless now. He was loyal to Rita. I believe him when he says he's not a bad guy anymore. And he's important to you."

"I wouldn't go that far."

"I would. You obviously care about him. So take him in until he can get on his feet or whatever."

"Thank you, Sage. That's incredibly kind."

"This world needs kindness once in a while. I mean it, though. He's not allowed to stink up the house."

"Noted." He smiled at her. Together, they went to find Rito.

"Green Ranger? Did you come to finish me off?" Rito asked. He looked at them pitifully.

"No," Sage said. "I'm not here to hurt you."

"You're coming with us," Zedd said.

"What?" Rito asked in confusion.

"You need to get off the streets and Sage said it's alright... But you have to clean yourself up and stay that way."

"I can do that... But are you sure? You hate me, and she's a Power Ranger."

"You deserve a chance," Sage said firmly. "Just prove you've earned it."

Together, the three of them headed home. If someone had told Zedd this would be his life a little while ago, he'd have laughed in their face and possibly destroyed them, yet here he was. He smiled to himself, hoping Rita appreciated that he was taking care of her little brother now.

TWO DAYS LATER.

CALEB

He wasn't surprised when Zell appeared in his dream. "I'm ready for my answer, my boy," he said.

"The answer is no," Caleb said firmly.

"Are you certain? I can do so much for you, Caleb. I can protect the ones you love. I can free Caius of his curse. I can give you incredible power."

"I don't want power, and I believe that we're all strongest together. We can stop you, and we will."

"You have one more chance, my boy. Work for me, or I will destroy everyone you love."

"I'll never work for you, Zell. I'll never be evil. That's not who I am, and I'm not falling for your lies."

"Very well, dear boy. Until we meet again..." With that, he vanished, and Caleb woke up.

He was sweating. He couldn't believe he'd stood up to Zell! He terrified him, but Caleb knew Zedd was right. Working for Zell was the wrong choice, no matter what. He looked at his alarm clock. It was nearly five in the morning. Caleb knew he couldn't fall back asleep, so he got dressed and decided to go for a jog before school, like he always did.

He returned home just before seven. His parents stood outside of the house. "You guys are out early," he said.

"Caleb..." His father said.

"I'm just going to go take a shower and-"

"Don't," his mother said urgently. "Caleb, do not go into the house. Do you hear me?"

"Mom... What's going on?" Caleb asked.

"Sweetheart... Just... Go to Thorn's. Please."

"Dad... Tell me what's wrong."

"Caleb, please listen to us. Just leave. Don't go in there."

His mother reached toward him and Caleb felt a chill. He jumped back before she could touch him. "No... No, that's... No," he said, trying to deny what he suddenly understood.

"I'm sorry, Baby," his mother said softly.

"No! You're... You're fine," he said. "I'm... I'm going in there!" He flung the door open before they could stop him. That was when he saw all of the blood in the living room. "Mom! Dad!" He screamed. What he saw next sickened him.

Body parts were scattered across the living room. They were everywhere. His mother's eyes stared up at him from the floor, her head completely removed from the rest of her body.

Caleb felt like he was going to vomit. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. His father's head lay a few feet away, his mouth open in terror. Caleb felt tears streaming down his cheeks. This couldn't be happening. These dismembered bodies were not his parents. That was impossible.

"You should have accepted my deal," Zell said, suddenly appearing. He lunged at Caleb and Caleb did the only thing he could... He grabbed a chair and smashed it against the ground, breaking it to give himself its leg as a weapon. Caleb wasn't much of a fighter, but today, he had no choice. This bastard had just murdered his parents, and he was next on the list.

They struggled for a while before Zell overpowered him. The beating was so severe, Caleb was convinced he'd never recover. Still, he fought. When Zell delivered a final brutal blow to his chest, Caleb felt his heart stop. He knew he was dying, and he wasn't entirely sure that was a bad thing anymore.

CAIUS

The vision hit him like a truck. He was stuck in it for a short time, but as soon as he gained awareness, he raced to Caleb's house. His son was in horrible danger. He prayed he wasn't too late.

Caleb's adopted parents watched him from outside of the house. Caius sighed, his heart breaking. They'd been good people. They'd loved his son. They'd raised him and kept him happy when he couldn't do it himself, and now, they were dead. He walked into the living room and took in the scene. There were body parts everywhere. The couple who'd raised his son had been dismembered and had probably been alive through the majority of the attack knowing the way Zell operated.

Caleb lay on the ground, bloody and broken. "Caleb... Oh God... Please..." Caius whispered. He checked for a pulse. There wasn't one. Caius refused to give up. He called an ambulance, then set to work, praying he still had time. "Caleb... Don't let go," he begged. "Please... Come back to me, Son... Please..." Caius felt tears streaming down his cheeks as he used some of the charms he owned to try and revive his son. He performed CPR as well, but nothing was working. He refused to let go of his son's hand. "I can't lose you, too," he whispered. "Come back, Caleb... You can do this... You can survive this. Please..."

He stayed like that, willing Caleb to sense his energy and follow it back to his body. If he could do that, he still had a chance...

CALEB  
He was dead. Again. This was becoming a really bad habit.

"Oh, my sweet boy..." A familiar voice said sadly.

"Casey?" Caleb asked. He saw her then. She smiled at him with the saddest eyes he'd ever seen.

"Yes, Caleb. I'm here to guide you... Listen to me, Caleb. You can go back. You don't have to die."

"Take me instead!" He blurted out.

"Caleb-"

"Bring my parents back. Take me instead."

"Caleb, that's not the way it works."

"Please, Casey... Please, if you ever cared about me, take me instead of them!"

"I'm so sorry, my sweet boy... Their fate was sealed long ago."

"Sealed? You mean..." A horrible realization hit him. "The minute they agreed to take me in, this became their destiny, didn't it?"

"They loved you, Caleb. Even knowing this, they would do it again."

Caleb began to cry. "No..." He whispered. "Please... There has to be a way to fix them."

"I truly wish that there was... I hate to see you hurting, Caleb. I look at you as a son."

"It isn't fair... They didn't know about any of this! They were innocent!"

"I know..." Casey held him. It was extremely comforting to be in her arms again. "Caleb... You can stay if you choose to. I won't make you go back, but... You have a choice to make."

Caleb thought about it. He could stay there and be with his parents, and with Casey. It would be easier, and he knew that. Or, he could go back home, without his parents, and face the rest of his life. He knew the Chosen needed him, but was that enough? Could he really go back to a world without his mom and dad?

"Thorn..." He whispered. He took a deep breath and looked at Casey. "Thorn needs me. I have to go back... For him."

Casey nodded. "I cannot guide you home, Caleb. That is your journey to take on your own. That is both your gift and your curse... But there are others who can guide you."

"Like the original Chosen?"

"Yes... But not this time. This time, there's someone else you need to find."

Caleb nodded. He hugged her again. "I miss you," he told her. "We all do."

"I miss you all, too." She hugged him tighter before releasing him. "Take care of my son."

"Always." With that, Caleb found himself alone in the darkness. He started to panic. He didn't know what to do now, so he simply began to walk aimlessly, hoping he would find whoever he needed to soon.

"Hello there, Almost Brother," a voice said.

Caleb didn't know who he was, and he was with someone else he didn't know. "We are nearly brothers, it's true," the other man said.

"Come with us, Caleb."

"Where?" Caleb asked.

"To Papa Caius, of course. He's with you, Caleb. He's holding your hand and trying to guide you back."

"Who are you?"

"Quang Bu," the first man said. "Or QB, if you prefer. That's Jason... The original Jason Scott, actually. Middle name's Raven, if you want all of the details. He's Dimitri and Morgana's son. I'm the son of Quintus. Caius raised us both, which makes you pretty much our baby brother."

"Exactly," Jason chimed in. "And we don't leave family behind. Come on, Caleb. We'll bring you home. Besides, he's sending out so much energy trying to bring you back... He loves you, Caleb... And he won't give up on you."

They began moving quickly, and Caleb felt like he had to run for his life, literally. He finally looked back over his shoulder at them when they stopped moving. "Go, Caleb," Jason said.

"Run," Quang Bu added. "There isn't much time."

"Thank you both," Caleb said.

"Anytime, Little Brother," Quang Bu said.

"Good luck," Jason added.

With that, Caleb jumped into the light he saw before him. Moments later, he coughed as he began breathing again, and opened his eyes.

"Caleb!" Caius cried out with relief. He was suddenly hugging him. Their relationship had been awkward before, but being held by his biological father was comforting now. He desperately needed to know that he wasn't alone.

"They're gone..." Caleb whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks.

"Yes, Caleb... I am so sorry..." Caius said softly.

"I had to come back... The Chosen need me... And... And Thorn..."

"They do."

"This is my fault, Caius."

"No, Caleb... No, it's not."

"He gave me choice... He offered me a deal..."

"Oh, Caleb..." Caius shook his head.

"I went to Zedd... To ask if he'd do it again... And he told me he'd have chosen to believe in his and Xia's love and the power of that to stop evil... I refused the deal, Caius... And he... He killed them..."

"Caleb... This isn't your fault. You made the right choice."

"I know, but... He did this... He killed them... He..." Caleb became hysterical, which was a bad idea. He was still seriously injured, and he couldn't breathe now. His chest was tight.

"Shhh... Shhh, Caleb... I'm here. You aren't alone."

"I... They were my parents, Caius."

"I know."

"I don't know what to do now."

"You can come stay with me if you want to..." Caius said this awkwardly, like he was certain Caleb would refuse. "Or you can ask Adam if he'd let you stay with him. I'm sure he'd be more than willing to take you in, and being with Thorn may help you."

"Thorn... Can you call him for me?"

"Of course."

Caleb thought about his options as Caius made the call. When he returned, Caleb said, "I'll stay with you... For now..." He knew it was the right choice. Caius was the only one who might understand what he was dealing with right now, and he was his birth father. Caleb had just lost his parents, but he still needed someone to watch out for him. He was still a teenager. Maybe getting to know his biological father wouldn't be such a bad idea.

The police came a short time later, and so did an ambulance. Caleb allowed them to take him to the hospital. Caius stayed by his side, and assured him Thorn would meet them there. Caleb tried to hold on to that. He'd lost his parents, but he still had Thorn, and even if Zell wanted to kill him, Sage would never let that happen. He had to believe that was enough.

THORN

He raced to the hospital at a speed he hadn't known he could. When he finally saw Caleb, he felt relieved at first, and then broken. He wrapped his arms around him, careful not to hurt him. "I love you," he whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"They're dead, Thorn," Caleb whispered back. "Just like that... They were fine this morning. I left to go for a jog because I couldn't sleep, and when I got home, they were just... They were outside."

Thorn understood what he meant. "Oh God..."

"I didn't realize at first... Probably because I didn't want to believe it... But they were ghosts, Thorn... And they were begging me not to go inside."

"I'm so sorry, Caleb... God, I can't believe this is happening..."

"I'm alone, Thorn... They're gone... My parents are gone..."

"You're not alone. You have me. Me and the Power Rangers and the Chosen, and... And Caius."

"I know... He went for the only people in my life who wouldn't see him coming. They didn't know about any of this, Thorn."

"I know."

"I... I saw your mom."

"You did?" Thorn was stunned. The news hurt, but in an odd way, it was also comforting.

"Yeah... She gave me a choice... She said I could stay there if I wanted to." He sighed. "I asked her to take me instead of them. I know that's horrible, but... But I had to try..."

"I'd have done the same thing... I'd have given anything to save my mom. I get it, Caleb. It's okay."

"She said she couldn't bring them back, but she said I could return if I wanted to... And I agreed to do it for one reason."

"Why?"

"You."

"Me?"

"I couldn't do that to you again. You didn't handle losing me the first time. I couldn't leave you."

Thorn kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Caleb sighed. "I don't know what I'm going to do now... I just know that I have to keep going."

"I'm with you, Caleb. Every step of the way."

"I know."

"Dad agreed I can skip some school until the funeral so you don't have to be alone."

"It may take a while... They... Um... They can't release the... the..." Caleb shook his head, clearly unwilling to say the word bodies. "They can't give my parents back until they go through everything and determine the details of what happened. I told them it was a monster... But they didn't seem to believe me. I think they think the trauma has me confused or something."

"I'll stay with you for as long as I can. I'm doing fine in my classes. Missing some school for this won't be the end of the world. You're my boyfriend. You need me... And your parents were great to me... They're my family, too."

Caleb nodded. "Thank you... For being here."

"Always."

Caleb leaned his head on Thorn's shoulder and tried to take comfort in his presence. Whatever happened next, he needed to face it and move forward. There was no other choice. This was war. Whatever else was to come, Caleb knew one thing for sure. He was going to make Zell pay.


	27. Chapter Twenty-Seven

ZELL

He had gone to the meeting purely to keep the peace. So many branches of evil had come together, each with their own motives, and Zell knew it would be difficult to accomplish anything without someone playing referee. On top of that, he thought it might be amusing to listen to what each of them were thinking about but not voicing aloud. By joining his alliance, they'd unknowingly allowed him access into their devious yet simple little minds.

Merkhet arrived first, with Goldar and Virges by her side. Zell greeted them pleasantly. Venjix arrived next. He'd taken a physical form as soon as he was strong enough, not content to simply exist within the Machine Empire. Dark Specter arrived shortly after. Goldar visibly shrank in fear at the sight of the entity who'd essentially taken Zell's slot as the greatest evil in the universe while Zell was gone.

Why would he invite him here? Merkhet wondered.

Zell smiled to himself. The reason should be obvious. He liked to keep his friends close and his enemies closer. Besides, Dark Specter was not at full power anymore. He was even less of a threat than he'd been in the past, but his desperation to regain that power made him an ideal ally. He knew exactly how to manipulate someone like that.

King Mondo, Queen Machina, and Sprocket entered next. They had Cogs with them, but the rest of their Empire was still down for the count. Finally, Divatox made a dramatic entrance with Elgar right behind her.

Zell had two secret weapons. One, he had kept hidden in his lair. She needed to be protected more than the others, but she was also much more dangerous. The other lurked in the shadows, watching. Zell didn't want anyone to know that after he'd killed Caleb, however briefly, he'd harnessed enough of the boy's gift to resurrect someone without alerting a very distracted Casey. She had a ridiculous number of souls to keep track of and he knew any descendant of Rose would be too distracted by Caleb's death and grief to pay attention to much else until he left her.

Can you hear everyone? Zell asked him telepathically.

The answer was guarded. Yes, I hear the pointless small talk. Can we get started? Deker replied.

Zell liked that Deker always cut straight to the point. It saved time. The mortal who'd been turned into a half-Nighlok to save his life had only recently been saved from his curse when Jayden agreed to duel to the death. Jayden had survived and Deker had finally died. Zell had expected him to protest being brought back from the dead, but Deker had a lot of rage in him and he seemed to be enjoying the promise of one last battle. For now, however, he wanted Deker in his back pocket. His job was to protect Zell's interests above all others. Later, Zell would introduce him to the others as his loyal minion.

"Divatox. Excellent," Zell said, turning to her. "Now, we may begin."

"Get on with it," King Mondo said.

"Of course. My dear, dear villains, I have gathered you here for one purpose... To destroy the Power Rangers."

"Yes... Why is that, Zell?" Merkhet asked suspiciously. "They did not exist until after your time."

"That is an excellent question. The answer is quite simple, my dear. Zordon created them. My son took away all that I held dear. It is time to return the favor." There was more to his plan, but none of them needed to know that.

"Um... Great Zell, um... Can I ask a question?" Sprocket asked.

Zell was surprised the child had the nerve to address him. Curiosity got the better of him. "Of course, my boy. What is it?"

"Well, see... We've all tried that before, and the thing is, it never works... So how, exactly, do you plan on destroying them now?"

"Before, you were divided. Most of you did not work together, and even when you did, you did not have me on your side. I do not fail."

"Oh... Okay, but, um... Didn't Zordon kill you when he was just a kid?"

"Sprocket!" Queen Machina said in horror.

"Enough! Hush," King Mondo added.

"Nonsense! He's just a curious lad. There's nothing wrong with him asking questions," Zell said. He couldn't believe this child had the audacity to say such things to him, but it actually made him respect the boy's honesty. None of the others would have dared to say exactly what they were thinking aloud. Everyone else would try to charm him or tell him whatever he wanted to hear. Sprocket was the only trustworthy one in the bunch.

"Yes, dear boy," Zell said. "It is true my son killed me, although it obviously did not last forever. I am far too powerful to truly die, especially at the hands of a child."

"What is your plan, Great Zell?" Divatox asked, sucking up to him by using his title. The boy had done it because he'd been taught to respect his elders and use proper titles, but Divatox did it out of fear of angering him.

"There is one thing which will bring all of our targets together," Zell said.

"What's that?" Merkhet asked.

"Tommy Oliver. If we abduct him, they will come to us, and we will be able to destroy them."

"Tommy? Of course! It's so obvious! Why didn't I think of that?" Divatox asked.

"Because you're an idiot?" Merkhet suggested.

"I was being sarcastic!"

"I was not."

"Ladies..." Zell said firmly.

"Sorry," Divatox mumbled. Merkhet offered no apology. "My point is, everyone knows Tommy's the way to get to the others. I mean, who hasn't kidnapped Tommy Oliver? Rita did it. Zedd did it. I did it. Some random scientist he pissed off did it..."

"Tommy is the key. He is the most legendary of the Rangers, having been on more teams and been more colors than anyone. Everyone knows him or knows of him, and they would do anything to protect him."

"Yes... Yes, this is a smart plan," Dark Specter said. "We take Tommy and drain him of his life force... They will come to us."

Zell peaked into everyone's heads as they agreed. Dark Specter wanted to use Tommy's energy to restore his full powers. Merkhet had been planning to drain the Rangers to feed Chaos, but she knew Tommy had always been the strongest. She was plotting to use his energy for her Master. Divatox hated Tommy and the rest of the Rangers. She was fine with destroying Tommy because it just might destroy the rest of them, too. She didn't care what was done with the energy, but she'd probably support giving it all to Dark Specter out of fear-inspired loyalty.

"I will need help to accomplish this. We must build a powerful machine to drain away his life force," Zell said. "I want the Machine Empire to run it, and Venjix will control it."

Venjix seemed pleased as it said, "Yes... Yes, I will infect this powerful machine..." Zell knew Venjix had only one goal... To infect everything until nothing could stop it. Venjix had had a pretty successful run in Corinth before the Power Rangers had ultimately destroyed it. Zell knew it was capable of getting back there.

"When will we capture Tommy?" Merkhet asked.

"As soon as possible," Zell promised. "It's nearly time."

The alliance members smiled wickedly, each for their own reasons, and Zell knew they had no idea he was using them. While the alliance kept everyone busy, he would go after his true target. He knew that target would not be able to stand idly by, hiding, if Tommy was in danger.

Zell took Divatox aside. "A word, my dear?" He asked.

Divatox nervously followed him. "Yes?" She asked.

"I know you have an old friend of mine in your possession. I would like you to revive him, but not using Venjix."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Alpha, my dear. Alpha Prime, the very first of his kind. I need to revive him, but without the memories of what happened with the Chosen. He is fiercely loyal, but he turned on me to help them destroy me after it came out which side I was on. He was a good companion. I want him back."

"That outdated robot is an Alpha?" He could tell she had truly had no idea. "I just took him when I began gathering the Machine Empire. I thought he might be one of them."

"Alpha was disassembled a long time ago. He remained with my son and Caius for a while, but ultimately went home. He shut down there several centuries later. Because he is a robot, I can revive him, but I need your help. You are far more familiar with this technology than I am."

"Sure... Sure, I can do that," she said eagerly. Zell knew she was hoping this would put her in his good graces so he wouldn't turn on her. He decided that her reviving Alpha would earn her some points and if she continued to be helpful, he might even keep her around if she wasn't killed in the battle. Allowing her to live was more than generous. He smiled at her encouragingly and began plotting how to reprogram his faithful old servant.

JUSTIN

He was alarmed when someone knocked on his front door. Justin had a ton of security around the house that was supposed to tell him if someone was approaching. Cautiously, he walked to the door. A woman stood on the other side.

"No soliciting," Justin said through the speaker.

The woman laughed. "I'm not here for that," she said. "Zordon sent me."

Justin stiffened. If Zordon was sending someone to his house, something was seriously wrong. What if this was some sort of trick? What if she had just dropped Zordon's name so she could get her foot in the door?

"It's okay, Justin. You can trust me. My name is Anise. I'm Zordon's sister," she said.

"Zordon doesn't have a sister," Justin argued. Of course, he didn't know that for sure. He'd never asked, but Zordon had never mentioned having any family at all.

Suddenly, the woman's skin turned blue. She'd apparently had on a glamour of some sort. She did look like she was related to Zordon now, but Justin was still reluctant to trust her. "Is this about TJ and Cassie?" He asked, terrified something had happened to them.

"No, they're fine," Anise promised.

"Then please remind Zordon that I left that life behind me, and whatever this is, I'm not interested."

Anise sighed. "Justin, please... You may be in danger."

"Why?"

"Katherine's back."

Just like that, the panic attack hit. Justin backed away from the door and started to hyperventilate. Katherine was dead... She couldn't hurt him anymore... Right?

Anise teleported into the house. Justin stared at her. "If you could do that, why did you bother knocking?" He managed to ask as he began trembling in fear.

"Because it's rude to just teleport into someone's house... Breathe, Justin. It's okay. I won't let her hurt you," Anise promised.

"Kat's dead," he insisted, trying to calm himself down.

"Justin... I know what she did to you. I pick things up... And I had a vision of her trying to go after you."

"No. Katie killed her. She's dead and gone."

"Dead, yes. Gone, not so much. It turns out she possessed Katie. She's trapped in her body for now, but when she is kicked out, she'll find another way to attack... And she knows you're completely isolated. It's not safe here, Justin. You need to come back to Angel Grove so we can protect you."

"No... I'm never going back there."

"Justin, if she comes after you, she'll go after your son, too."

Justin froze. "I... No. She can't."

"You know she's a predator, Justin. Angel Grove is the only place where you'll both be safe."

"I can't expose him to that world...He's eleven. He should be playing and hanging out and reading safely in his room... Not fighting monsters and saving the world and risking his life."

"He doesn't have to get involved. I can set you guys up in a house on the outskirts of town, where none of the bad guys will find you."

"Zordon might get the brilliant idea that he'd be a great part of the team."

"I know Zordon screwed up by letting you become a Ranger, Justin. He knows it, too. He feels guilty for everything you went through... He would never put your son through that. But you were a good Ranger, Justin. I know that, in your heart, you are a really good person. You want to help people. You want to protect the innocent. You're still a hero. Don't ever doubt that."

"You swear my son won't be exposed to anything?"

"Yes. We'll do everything we can to protect him."

"Okay." He sighed. "I guess I'll do it... If it means keeping him safe."

"I'll keep you off the grid. I have a generator from Eltar that can power all of your tech without anyone noticing a spike in power usage."

Justin had to admit, that sounded pretty cool. Working with alien tech could be a lot of fun. He hadn't done that in ages. His inner science genius was geeking out. He took a deep breath, still trying to process the fact that this was really happening, and began to come up with a plan.

TAYLOR

He was just sitting in class trying to zone out when the teacher began talking about funeral pyres in other cultures. There was a photo on the projector and Taylor froze as panic overwhelmed him. Suddenly, he was back in his mother's village, watching her burn. He couldn't stop hyperventilating.

He felt a hand on his arm and almost swung before realizing it was Tamira. Because he needed remedial help, they'd ended up in the same class even though she was a year younger than him. She looked at him now with concern and he knew she was struggling to resist the urge to sing to calm him down. Taylor squeezed her hand and felt a bit of her light filter into him. He began to calm down as he reminded himself where he was.

"Mr. Campbell... Detention!" The teacher declared.

Taylor shrugged. He was used to that. "But it's not his fault," Tamira said quickly.

"Tamira, it's okay," Taylor said, not wanting her to get in trouble, too.

"His mom just died," she reminded the teacher stubbornly. "They had a funeral pyre."

"Nonsense. It's a barbaric ritual no one uses anymore," the teacher insisted.

Taylor remained silent. He couldn't talk about this. "Actually, it's still part of a lot of cultures," Tamira argued.

"Listen, Miss Taylor. I realize that Mr. Campbell may be your homeboy or whatever, but-"

"What did you just say to me?!" Tamira demanded.

"Tamira, it's no big deal. Really," Taylor insisted.

"He's racist," Tamira whispered to Taylor.

He had no idea what that meant, but he didn't try to contradict her. The bell rang and Taylor took his detention slip and headed to his next class, desperately trying to get the image of his mother's burning body out of his head.

OLLIE

He got an unexpected text from Caius as the bell rang. Training will resume today, it read. Meet at the usual location. I have asked Zedd to fill in for me as I take care of Caleb. I must be with my son, but we cannot waste any more time. You must train. Please inform the others.

Ollie blinked at his phone. "Why the look of confusion?" Sage asked. She was on a break between her exams. Sage had decided to test out of school so she could prepare for whatever battle might be coming. She was certainly smart enough. Ollie suspected she'd only stayed in school for so long for Thorn's sake. Thorn was smart, too, but he was content to stay in high school. Ollie knew Adam had promised to let Sage re-open her mother's garage once she was done. With his permission, she was in the process of getting certified as a mechanic.

"Zedd's stepping up to train us while Caius... Well, you know... while he's with Caleb," Ollie said. He didn't know how to process what Zell had done to Caleb's parents, but Ollie desperately wanted to help him through it. He knew how it felt to have Zell rip away a parent... But Caleb had lost both of them, and they'd suffered. At least his mom had died instantly. Zell had played with Caleb's parents, either to prove a point or for his own amusement, and Caleb had nearly died, too.

Taylor walked by. "Taylor, wait up!" Ollie called.

Taylor stopped. "What's up?" He asked.

"Training's back on. With-"

"My father?" Taylor guessed.

"How'd you know?"

"It was gonna be him or Zordon, and Zordon has bigger things to worry about. Whatever. Tell my dad I'm gonna be late. I have-"

"Detention?" Ollie laughed. "What else is new? What are you in for this time?"

"Breathing," Taylor said with a shrug. "I gotta go." He hurried off.

"He's upset..." Sage commented.

"I noticed that... But it's Taylor. He's upset a lot of the time. He'll talk if he wants to."

"He should be upset!" Tamira said, joining them. "Our history teacher's got it in for him, and now I know why. He's racist!"

"What?" Ollie asked.

"He called Taylor my 'homeboy.'"

"No way... Are you serious?"

"Completely. I defended Taylor because he essentially got detention for having a panic attack. The teacher showed us pictures of a funeral pyre, and naturally, Taylor freaked out. Who wouldn't? But when I tried explaining it, the teacher said funeral pyres were barbaric and no one uses them now."

"I'm gonna kick his a-"

"Down, Ollie," Sage said firmly. "You're not going to touch him. I'm going to call Sellie and she's going to threaten to go all ACLU on the principal. I promise the teacher will be out of a job for this. And she'll make sure Taylor doesn't serve detention for this. His files have his mom's death and his mental health on record. They can't punish him for having a panic attack."

"Fine... But if that bastard ever makes a comment like that again, especially to Tamira, I'll kill him."

"I'm right there with you. Racism is one thing I really hate." Sage was Korean and Native American, so Ollie was sure she'd faced more than her share of it over the years.

"Oh... Tamira, we have training," Ollie said, remembering he was supposed to tell everyone.

"Caius is back?" Tamira asked.

"No, Zedd's filling in."

"Awesome!" Tamira had become deeply attached to Zedd, to the general dismay of her father. "But wait... I saw Caius earlier, headed to cover a class."

"That's not possible," Sage said. "He won't leave Caleb right now."

"He's here, Sage. He even waved hello to me."

Sage frowned. "Something's not right... I'll look into that, but first, I need to call Sellie." She hurried off.

"She's right," Ollie said. "If Caius was here, he'd have come and told us himself that Zedd was going to train us."

"What do you think is going on? Does Caius have an evil twin he forgot to mention? Or did he clone himself?" Tamira asked.

Ollie hoped the answer wouldn't be a bad one, but he doubted they'd get that lucky.

TAYLOR

He had just lost what was probably too much blood, but he didn't care. Taylor knew everyone would be mad at him if they found out, but the cuts had helped. His panic attack had finally fully faded away and he stopped seeing his mother's burning body in his mind.

Sage spotted him and he was sure he was busted, but she didn't call him on the cuts. Instead, she said, "Taylor, do you understand why you got detention?"

"Yeah," he said. "For breathing."

"No, Taylor. Your teacher singles you out because he's racist."

"That's what Tamira said, too... So?"

"Do you know what that means?"

"Not really," he admitted, embarrassed.

"He doesn't approve of your skin color."

"What? I kind of can't help that... I mean, I could glamour it, but glamouring my skin color would take way too much energy and-"

"He's wrong, Taylor. Racism isn't okay. He hates Black people."

Taylor paused. "That's stupid," he said.

"Yes it is."

"I mean, there are a ton of reasons to hate me. I can be a total asshole, I'm way too outspoken because I have no filter, I called him an idiot to his face... But the color of my skin? What a lame reason!"

She laughed. "You're right," she said.

Taylor frowned. "Sage... Why does this bother me so much? Like, why can't my brain process this?"

"Because you're still technically an infant, and babies aren't born to hate. You're pure of heart and you've never had to face this particular ugly aspect of humanity. But he's wrong, Taylor. This is completely wrong and I'm sorry you had to deal with it. Sellie will handle everything, I promise."

Taylor nodded, still upset. "Okay... Thanks, Sage."

She surprised him by hugging him. "Not everyone is a racist asshole," she promised. "And if anyone else pulls this on you, send them my way. I hate racists." She walked away and Taylor took a deep breath, hoping he looked calm enough to get through his next class without any more issues until Sellie showed up.

SAGE

Sellie had promised to come to the school immediately. Sage walked toward the Principal's office and spotted Caius walking by. "Caius?" She asked.

He stiffened and she knew immediately that this man was not Caius. He lacked the sincere smile that Caius always used to greet her. His cheerfulness was forced. "Hello, Sage," he said. His voice was slightly deeper than usual and his mannerisms were all wrong, but he certainly looked enough like Caius to easily fool those who didn't know him well. Sage wasn't fooled.

"I thought you were staying home with Caleb," she said.

"Duty called, I'm afraid. They needed me to come into work."

"Right. I suppose his girlfriend is taking care of him then."

The fake Caius frowned at her. "Sage, are you feeling alright? Caleb is dating your brother."

"Of course... I'm just tired. I still haven't recovered from saving Zedd."

A slightly amused smile appeared on his face. "Are you testing me, Sage? You're fine. What's this really about?"

He'd done his homework. She'd give him that. "You caught me. I just find it odd you're here while Caleb is suffering."

"My son needed some space. It's to be expected."

"Of course. So, will you be training the others today? They need to keep their skills sharp."

"Ah... Yes, of course they do. Perhaps I should resume their training."

Sage cast a spell to hold him in place before pinning him against the wall. "Who the hell are you?" She demanded.

He stared at her. She grabbed him and before he could say anything, she teleported them both to the Command Center.

"Sage? Is everything alright?" Alpha asked. "Hello, Caius..."

Sage was saved from having to answer when Zordon walked in. "That is not Caius, Alpha," he said firmly. "Scan him immediately."

Alpha did as he was told. After a minute, he said, "This man is a match for someone named Ares Grant," he said.

Ares looked nervous now. "That is impossible," Zordon said firmly. "Ares Grant died in battle saving his men several millennia ago. He was a war hero... And Caius was his younger brother."

"By eleven months," Ares said coldly.

"How are you alive?" Sage demanded.

"That's classified."

"Tell me or I'll put you back in the ground where you belong!"

"If you think you can, please do."

"You were a good man, Ares," Zordon said. "Caius was devastated when we learned of your death. What happened to you?"

"My brother abandoned us. He left us vulnerable!" Ares practically spat. "Our baby sister was captured by Lord Xylon's brother, tortured, and turned into his pet. He destroyed her when she was already vulnerable because we believed the Mystics killed our brother! Caius lied to us!"

"My father essentially kidnapped Caius right after Rose saved his life. He was told he had to help save the world, and if you know your brother, you know what a good man he is. He couldn't leave the world in danger. By the time that was over, he'd been cursed with immortality, and he couldn't really have explained that to all of you. He loved you and he wanted to go to you, but it was better to leave you out of all of that. He couldn't risk endangering you."

"He left us open to attack instead! First Alexandria was taken, then I... I..." He shuddered and suddenly seemed much more human.

"What happened to you, Ares?" Sage asked gently. She suspected she knew the answer.

"He came from the past... He could do that, apparently... He grabbed me right after I died and revived me, then forced me to go with him. He made me immortal and told me my brother was alive and explained he had turned on us... I didn't believe him at first... But he left me in Dark Specter's care, forcing me to work for him, and binding me into his service." He cried out in pain and Sage knew he must have a spell on him meant to keep him from sharing that information.

"Caius didn't turn on you, Ares," Zordon said. "My father lied to you." Ares didn't have to tell them this was Zell's work. No one else could have pulled it off.

"I must return to them," Ares insisted.

"Tell us why you were at the high school impersonating Caius," Sage said.

"To get to the Chosen, of course! Let me leave. Please. He'll kill her if you don't!"

"Kill who?"

"My daughter. Please, she's only sixteen."

Sage was about to ask for more information when Zordon seemed to manifest a sword out of thin air. To Sage's shock, he quickly slashed Ares' cheek with it. Ares cried out in pain as he began gushing blood from the wound.

"Send him home," Zordon told Alpha. Ares was teleported out.

"Zordon, what the...?" Sage let her question trail off.

"His fear was genuine. The girl must exist and be in danger... However, I cannot leave him looking so much like Caius. The scar will not heal because this sword is a magic one from Eltar... He cannot pass for Caius anymore, which removes that threat."

It made sense, but it still shocked Sage that Zordon could be so nonchalant about slashing a man's face. "We have to warn Caius," she said.

"I will warn him as soon as possible," Zordon promised.

Sage nodded and left. When she checked her phone, she saw a text from Sellie. Biggot suspended. Taylor's off the hook. Getting his record wiped mostly clean, too. Any suspicious detentions will be removed.

"She really works fast," Sage mumbled. She was relieved at least one problem had been resolved.

ZEDD

He was a bit nervous. Although he'd sort of been part of the original Chosen, even if it had never been made official by Zell, these kids knew him as a monster. Taylor and Angie were slowly accepting him, and Tamira liked him, but would the others give him a chance to prove he had changed?

Other than Caleb, everyone showed up. That was a start. Zedd tried smiling as he said, "Welcome... As you all probably know, I'm Zedd, and I'm going to continue your training while Caius spends some time with Caleb," he said.

Angie nodded at him encouragingly. Taylor seemed a little distracted, but he wasn't cursing him out, so Zedd took that as a good sign. Tamira smiled at him warmly and he was instantly calmer. He gave her a grateful smile, knowing she was working a bit of her magic to help him. Maddie seemed ready to work with him. Ollie stood so seriously, he could have rivaled Dimitri, but Zedd didn't take that personally. As the leader of the Chosen, chances were good that Ollie was taking the death of Caleb's parents hard and realizing how much danger everyone was in. Brian was looking at him, patiently waiting for him to do more than say hello. He had a playful smirk on his face that reminded Zedd so strongly of Quintus it hurt a bit. He missed Quin so much at times.

It was Tia who made Zedd worry the most. She kept her distance and refused to look him in the eye. Zedd assumed that she still blamed him for what had happened to Aisha. As she should, he thought. He'd practically destroyed Tia's life single-handedly. Of course she hated him.

Once he actually began working with them, it got easier. Everyone, even Tia, gave him their full attention. They didn't question his directions, and he was very impressed with how well they'd been trained. Caius, as always, had been thorough.

He noticed Tamira and Ollie sparring with each other and for a split second, he flashed back on Raven and Dimitri. Their battle styles were nearly identical to the styles of his friends. Tamira was unpredictable, yet fierce and effective. Ollie was incredibly polished and well-practiced, confident while still keeping his reflexes sharp.

It wasn't until someone collapsed that things went off-track. "Taylor!" Angie cried. She and Tia immediately rushed to his side.

Zedd gently moved Angie aside so he could get to his son. Tia moved on her own, not allowing him to get close enough to touch her.

"Taylor? Taylor, can you hear me?" Zedd asked. When he got no response, he started sending energy into Taylor, sensing he hadn't fed his incubus side in a bit. "Girls, I can take care of him. Go back to the others," he said.

"Are you sure?" Angie asked.

"It is an incubus issue," Tia guessed.

"At least in part, yes," Zedd confirmed. Angie and Tia walked away.

Zedd tried to figure out why Taylor had collapsed. Even as his energy returned, he still seemed to be hurt. Zedd had a feeling he knew why. After making sure no one was watching, he rolled up Taylor's sleeves. He wasn't actively bleeding, but Zedd noticed there were several more cuts than there had been the last time he'd seen his son's arms. "Oh, Taylor..." He said with a sigh.

He focused his energy on regenerating Taylor's blood. It worked, and he slowly woke up. "Dad?" He asked in confusion. "What happened?"

"You're anemic, Taylor. Severely so. If you don't stop hurting yourself, you're going to end up needing a blood transfusion. Why did you do this?" Zedd asked gently.

"I... I just got set off," Taylor replied. "Sorry... I know I said I wouldn't keep doing it, but... But the pictures..."

"What pictures?"

"My history class was learning about funeral pyres..." Taylor wouldn't look at him.

"Taylor... I'm not mad at you... I'm worried. I know Tanya put you into some sort of therapy. Have you talked about this?"

"I can't. There are things we just can't talk about to shrinks. Good and evil, Power Rangers, the fact that I'm an incubus... They'd stick me in a nuthouse."

"You really can talk to me, you know."

"I do know... But some of this is... I just... I can't talk about it with you."

Realization dawned on Zedd. "Because some of your issues are issues I caused," he said.

"Yeah. I mean... I know you're not that guy anymore, but..."

"It's okay, Taylor. You have every right to hate me for what I did. The fact that you talk to me at all is a miracle." He sighed. "You can't keep hurting yourself. Let me look into something and get back to you. I may be able to find you someone you can tell everything to. For now, just try to rest. No more training today. Your body will regenerate your blood, but you need to take it easy for a bit. And make sure you take some iron."

"Dad... Did you seriously just tell me to take my vitamins?" Taylor smirked at that.

"I suppose I did... I am your father. That's my job, right?"

"Hell if I know... I'm as new to having a dad as you are to being one... But I guess so. I mean, Billy would say it, and he's a pretty good father from what I've seen."

"Do you spend much time with him?"

"I spend time with Josh, and he's his father... Plus, Billy helped me with..." Taylor suddenly looked embarrassed.

"With what?" Zedd asked.

"With reading... And writing. He said I have something called dyslexia... That I'm not dumb or anything, but my eyes see stuff backwards sometimes."

"You're definitely not dumb, Taylor... And I'm glad he has been able to help you." Zedd gently squeezed Taylor's shoulder before saying, "I should get back to the others."

"Hey, Dad?"

"Yes?"

"You're a pretty good mentor. Don't be so scared. Most of us don't bite."

Zedd laughed. "Thanks for that," he said before joining the others and resuming their training.

ANISE

She was standing with Zordon in the Command Center. "He has Alpha Prime," she said suddenly.

"Alpha Prime was destroyed a long time ago," Zordon said with a frown. "Caius told me it happened while I was trapped outside of the timeline."

"Divatox dug him up while looking for the Machine Empire. She had no idea who he was. She thought he was just a useless pile of junk, but for whatever reason, she kept him. Our father is trying to revive him."

"We can't allow that... If he programs him right, Alpha will still be loyal to him."

"Exactly. Spot me. I'm going after him."

"Anise, it's too dangerous! He still thinks you're dead. We have to keep it that way."

"I literally spent most of my life playing double agent, Zordon. I know how to be sneaky. He'll never know I was there. Just wait here and keep thinking of me. Our connection will pull me back when it's time." She dove into the timeline, a skill she'd mastered long ago, and focused on finding Alpha Prime. It wasn't hard. She stepped back into time a few seconds earlier than when she'd left and gathered him in her arms. He was nearly fully assembled, but she grabbed the few loose pieces and jumped back into the void before reappearing a split second after she'd left.

"That was... Impressive," Zordon told her. "You made that look even easier than he used to."

"I've had a lot of practice," Anise said with a grin. "Now... Help me fix your friend."

Zordon easily pieced the rest of Alpha together. "Can you revive him?" She asked.

"I'm not sure," Zordon admitted. "He's been down for a long time... Perhaps Billy-"

"No. Our father's watching Billy. I have another idea. I'll be back, I promise." With that, she took Alpha and raced to her next destination.

She knocked on the door three times, followed by another four, at precise intervals. A minute later, Justin opened the door. His eyes widened at the sight of Alpha Prime. "What's that?" He asked as he let her into the house.

"This is Alpha Prime," Anise explained.

"Whoa, seriously?" His inner tech geek was coming out again. He'd clearly never seen ancient alien technology before, but Anise knew it was still more advanced than most of Earth's modern technology.

"We need to revive him with his memories intact. Do you think you can help?"

Justin looked the robot over. "He's not that different from Alpha Six... The tech's older, but it's set up similarly. He's designed different on the outside, but... Yeah, I think at the core, he's pretty similar... But getting the right parts will be hard. I might need to update him a lot."

Anise didn't point out that she could go anywhere in time and could easily get the right parts. An update might be a much better plan. "Do whatever you can. I trust you."

He nodded. "I need to look him over, but I'll get you a list of stuff soon."

"That's fine. You have my number. I need to go anyway." She had a training session with Lucy set up. She'd talked Sellie into convincing Lucy to at least let Anise train her to fight. Lucy was still afraid of her magic and didn't want to see Luke, but she was starting to trust Anise. While Anise trained Lucy, Zordon was working with Luke on magic and allowing Ollie to handle his physical training. Luke already knew how to fight, after all. Anise knew they'd have to train the twins together eventually, but this was working for now.

Jared peaked his head in. "Dad?" he called. His eyes bulged at the sight of the robot. "Cool! What's that?"

Justin had apparently decided that rebuilding robots was safe enough for his son. "This is a badly damaged robot," he said. "Would you like to help me fix him?"

"Duh! Of course," Jared replied.

"I'll call you soon," Justin promised Anise. She nodded and took the cue to leave, knowing Alpha was in good hands.

ONE WEEK LATER.

CALEB

He was a complete mess. He'd debated for days whether to have a two-day wake followed by a funeral or just do it all in one day. He'd felt like he owed it to his parents to hold a longer funeral, but the idea of stretching it out was killing him.

"Caius..." He'd finally said awkwardly. "Would it be wrong to only have one service?"

"Funerals are for the living, Caleb. Your parents will be okay with whatever you do," Caius had replied patiently.

My parents, Caleb thought. And what are you? Caleb still wasn't sure where Caius fit into his life. Biologically, he was his father. As far as the Chosen, Caleb had unfortunately inherited his legacy. At school, he was occasionally his substitute teacher. But as for the rest? Caleb still didn't know. Caius was still nearly a stranger, but he was all Caleb had left.

Now, Caleb stood with Thorn by his side. Sage was a couple of feet away. It meant a lot to Caleb that she was there. The rest of the Chosen stood at a respectful distance. Taylor looked the most uncomfortable and Caleb was stunned he'd come at all with his mother's death still such a fresh wound. It meant more than he could express that his team had come to support him on the hardest day of his life. The wake had been unbearable, and Caleb couldn't remember most of it. They'd moved to the cemetery, where Caleb stood staring at two coffins, unable to process that his parents were inside of them. His mother had been Jewish and his father was a Catholic, but they'd always sort of blended their beliefs together and Caleb had decided they'd have wanted a non-denominational funeral.

His father's parents had died before Caleb was born. His mother's father had died when Caleb was two. Her mother was in a home. Most days, she thought she was still a little girl herself, and Caleb had decided it was kinder not to tell her that her only child had been brutally murdered. His father's brother had come in from Texas. He had yet to come see Caleb, but now he approached him.

"Hi, Uncle Isaac," Caleb said awkwardly.

"Caleb. Yes, hello. You've gotten taller," Isaac replied just as awkwardly. He noticed Thorn holding Caleb's hand and took a few steps back, frowning. Caleb held Thorn's hand tighter, refusing to let that make him feel ashamed.

"I spoke with the police," Isaac said. "They asked if I'd like to seek custody. My brother and Caroline didn't name a guardian in their will. I assume they expected to live longer than this." Caleb felt guilt overwhelm him. Thorn tightened his grip on his hand and tensed and Caleb knew he was struggling not to hit his uncle.

"I told them I'm not interested," Isaac said firmly. "You aren't my responsibility. You're not even my blood, and unless you repent for your lifestyle-"

"Excuse me?" Sage snapped. "How dare you!"

Thorn released Caleb's hand and was ready to take a swing at Isaac. "Thorn," Caleb said urgently. "It's okay." He looked at Isaac. "I'd prefer to stay here, with my friends and my boyfriend rather than move to another state to live with someone as hateful as you, Uncle Isaac," he said calmly, forcing himself not to scream.

"Then it's foster care for you. Good luck with that."

"Actually, I will be taking care of Caleb," Caius said with an edge of anger in his tone. Caleb hadn't realized he'd come closer. He could feel his rage radiating off of him, and it was unexpected. Caius never seemed to lose his temper.

"You? The guy who probably killed my brother and his wife?" Isaac demanded.

"The police looked into that," Caius reminded him. "As Caleb's biological father, I was their first suspect. They cleared me." That was true. Sage had called Lieutenant Stone and begged him to help because the police had wanted to blame Caius for everything. Lieutenant Stone had convinced them to keep looking and they'd finally agreed it had been the work of something not human.

"They're incompetent. The two of you probably planned this whole thing! Dan and Caroline took your boy in when you threw him away like garbage and this is how he repays them? They should have kicked him out as soon as they found out he was a faggot!"

Caleb was hurt by the accusation more than the name-calling. His uncle had made it very clear how he felt about Caleb's sexual orientation when Caleb was thirteen. His father had kicked Isaac out of his life the same day.

Caleb saw Caius stiffen and knew he was silently trying to talk himself down. Thorn looked ready to attack again. Caleb kept his hand on Thorn's arm to prevent any violence. Sage's anger flared so quickly, Caleb could actually feel her power in the air. That was terrifying. He was certain one of them was going to attack his uncle. That was when someone else unexpectedly grabbed Isaac's shoulder. "That is enough," Adam said firmly. "It's time for you to leave."

"Who the hell are you?!" Isaac demanded. "This is my brother's funeral!"

"I'm someone who recognizes what an amazing nephew you have, and I'm not going to let you make this day any harder on him than it already is." With impressive force, Adam basically dragged Isaac out of the cemetery. When he returned, he put a gentle hand on Caleb's shoulder. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"As okay as I can be... Thank you, Adam," Caleb said.

"Anytime."

"I'm going to hex that son of a bitch," Sage said. "It's worth the bad karma."

"Sage..." Adam said. Then he shrugged. "There wouldn't be any. He brought it on himself."

"Dad!" Thorn said with shock and obvious approval.

"He isn't worth the energy," Caleb said. "I decided years ago that homophobes can't dim my rainbow, so to speak. I know he hates me. It doesn't matter. My parents cut him out for it. They loved me... They matter. No one else does today."

"They're incredibly proud of you, Caleb," Caius said. "So am I."

Caleb knew that Caius was using the present tense because he could still see them. Caleb could, too, but he refused to look at them. It was too hard to face them. "They had crossed over... Casey had them, I'm sure of it... Are they somehow stuck back here?" He asked.

"They aren't stuck... They're just checking on you. The ones we love never fully leave us, Caleb... Especially when they know we can see them."

Caleb nodded. He held onto Thorn's hand for dear life. He would get through this. He had to.

After that, the funeral progressed without incident. Caleb watched numbly, feeling detached until he had to place flowers on their graves. that was when Caleb collapsed onto his knees sobbing. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Caius reached him at the same time as Thorn. Caius pulled him into his arms and let him cry while Thorn gently stroked his back to try to soothe him. Too exhausted to protest, Caleb allowed Caius to guide him to the car. As soon as Thorn got in next to him, Caleb curled up on him and cried himself to sleep.

THE NEXT MORNING.

SAGE

She was a little bit nervous, but it was time. With her father and her son by her side, Sage opened the gate to her mother's garage... Her garage. Standing outside were the last two people she expected... Thorn and Caleb, armed with balloons and a sign that said HAPPY GRAND RE-OPENING!

"You guys came," she said in shock.

"It's Mom's garage," Thorn pointed out.

"But Caleb-"

"Caleb has been sitting shiva for over a week and needs to remember he's still alive," Caleb said. "Being here for the girl who saved my life in the first place seems like a very good way to start. You're opening up a business, Sage. This is a huge accomplishment. It should be celebrated, and family celebrates together. You guys are my family." He paused. "Which brings us to..."

Thorn and Caleb grinned as a car pulled up. Rocky stepped out and pulled out an impressively large cake. Adam took it from him and carried the very heavy-looking thing to a clean table before Rocky could hurt his back too much.

"Happy re-opening!" Rocky said. He gave her a hug.

"We're all so proud of you, Sage," Jason said as he walked up to the shop. He hugged her, too. "Tommy sends his best wishes, but he's still stuck in his house, so..." He laughed awkwardly.

"He's safer there. I think he's in danger. The spell will lift when it's meant to and I accept that," Sage said.

"Your mom would be so happy about this," David said as he finally arrived. Sage hugged him tight and used that to hide her tears in his shoulder. He seemed to know and held her until she composed herself. Sage was both touched and stunned. She hadn't expected anyone to care about her re-opening the garage except for her father, but it seemed she'd been wrong.

"Oh, and... I'm your first customer," Rocky said. "My car barely made it here."

Sage laughed. "Of course you're my first customer. That poor car is so abused..." Suddenly, everything felt perfect, and Sage knew she was on the right path.

TWO WEEKS LATER.

TOMMY

He'd been stuck in the house for entirely too long. Boredom was taking over his life. Katie was still in a coma. Although Liza had successfully removed Katherine from her body with a great deal of effort, Katie was stubbornly refusing to wake up. This left Tommy incredibly lonely, so he found himself annoying everyone else in the house. Kimberly and Billy politely indulged him even though they clearly wanted some alone time. Josh and Kenny found excuses to get away frequently. When he wasn't with his team, Jayden kept to himself or stayed by Katie's side, desperately trying to convince her to come back. Kira visited every day, but she had her own life to live and never stayed for too long. Tommy was losing his mind, and there were only so many apps to play with on his phone.

A scream from just outside of the house made Tommy spring into motion automatically. He raced to his front door, his cell phone still in his hand. To his great shock, it opened. He didn't stop to think about that as he spotted a little girl screaming a few feet away. She clung to a doll for dear life.

"What's wrong?" Tommy asked urgently.

She didn't answer, but buried her face in her doll, sobbing. "Sweetie, what's your name?" Tommy asked gently.

She looked up at him then and he realized she wasn't crying... She was laughing. "My name is Mora," she said sweetly. "And this is Cindy Sunshine. Isn't she lovely?"

"Oh, crap..." Was all Tommy had time to mutter before an electric shock shot through his body from behind and everything went black.

ZELL

"Well done, my dear!" Zell declared.

"So I get to stay this way forever?" Mora asked.

"A promise is a promise. You are immortal, Mora. You shall never age." He didn't add that keeping her a child benefited him anyway. As Morgana, she was deadly, but Mora had endless imagination and was far easier to manipulate. She wanted to stay a child for eternity, something her previous boss had used as a weapon when she upset him. Zell knew the key to gaining and keeping Mora's loyalty was to simply be the girl's friend.

Zell handed her a gorgeous sketchbook with removable pages. "For me?" She asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Yes, my dear. You may create whatever you wish. I think you'll do well if given the freedom to be creative."

"You're the best!" Mora declared. She flung her arms around him. Zell affectionately stroked her hair.

"Perhaps we should discuss what to do next?" Deker asked. "The kid's Taser Monster was effective, but what do we do with the unconscious Ranger?"

"I'll bring him to the lair we'll be keeping him in," Zell said. "You will bring Mora home."

"I am not a babysitter, Zell! I was brought back for battle, not to play games."

"You are an honorable man, Deker. I do not believe you have it in you to leave an innocent girl to walk these streets alone at night."

"That is no innocent girl."

"But she is a child, and she needs to be protected. Kindly do as I ask." He let a hint of a threat slip into his tone.

"Fine... But I'm not reading her a bedtime story."

"We can play with my dollies instead," Mora said cheerfully.

Deker looked absolutely homicidal, but he took her hand. "Come on, Kid. Move." He started to drag her away. Mora began skipping and Zell couldn't help but laugh as Deker disappeared with her.

"Now, Tommy... Let's take you to your new home," Zell said. He lifted Tommy up like he weighed little more than a toddler and carried him out of the time line. This was the easiest way to travel without portals or teleportation. When they reached the right location, Zell used magical rope to bind him to a table. Very soon, the Machine Empire, Venjix, and Divatox would have him hooked up to their machine. He'd hoped to have Alpha create it, but somehow, he'd vanished, and no matter what Zell did, he couldn't detect him anywhere. His other puppets would have to do. They were certainly capable of building the machine once he'd supplied them with the parts. Everything was coming together.

KIRA

As soon as she saw that the front door of Tommy's house was open, Kira reached for her morpher. She took a deep breath, realizing she might be jumping the gun, and didn't use it, but she didn't release it either. She cautiously entered the house.

"Doc O?" She called. She got no response, so she tried other names. "Kimberly? Billy? Kenny? Josh? Jayden? Is anybody home?" Still, no one answered. Kira began searching the rooms, finding them all empty. She sighed with relief when she found Katie, still in Sage's magical coma but perfectly fine. "I really wish you were awake right now, Kiddo," she said. "I think I need back-up."

Kira used her communicator to call Adam. "I think we've got trouble," she said.

"What's wrong?" Adam asked.

"I can't find Doc O. The front door's open and no one's in the house but Katie, who's still out cold."

"You're sure Tommy's nowhere?"

"Positive. I even checked the attic and basement."

"I'm on my way."

Kira picked up her phone and called Dustin. "What's wrong?" He asked, picking up the rising panic she tried to keep out of her voice.

She explained, and seconds later, Dustin had Zordon teleport him to her. Adam showed up moments later with Thorn, Sage, and Caleb, who still wasn't leaving Thorn's side much.

Together, they searched the house. Kenny, Kimberly, Billy, and Josh came home to find this and immediately began looking for clues as to what might have happened. It was Kimberly who thought to call Tommy's cell phone.

Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting began to play. Kira rolled her eyes at Tommy's dorky ringtone of the week as they all followed the sound outside of the house. "It's over here!" Kenny called, picking up the discarded cell phone. Kira stared at the shattered screen and knew that something very bad had happened.

"They have him..." Sage whispered. "They have Uncle Tommy. The bad guys joined together to pull it off."

Kira pulled a necklace out from beneath her shirt. "What's that?" Kenny asked, looking at the key on the chain.

"It's time," Kira said.

"Time for what?" Josh asked.

"Time to activate the Power Rangers Phone Tree... I'm the only person besides Doc O who has the key to the drawer he keeps the emergency contact book in." She rushed back into the house and upstairs to Tommy's room. "If the bad guys joined forces to take Doc O, then we need back-up... A lot of back-up."

She unlocked the drawer and said, "I've got a lot of calls to make... Sage... Wake Katie up. We can't wait anymore."

Jayden walked in the door and heard this. Before he could ask, Kenny caught him up to speed. Kira locked herself in Tommy's room and pressed a secret button on the book. "Activate Ranger Protocol Number Nine... Highest Priority," she said.

"Clearance code?" The book asked.

She nearly said, Fuck clearance codes, Doc O's missing, just do it! Instead, she kept a cool head because Tommy was counting on her now... They all were. She took a deep breath and replied, "Ranger Kira Ford, Dino Thunder Yellow, Second from the Top."

"Clearance code accepted. Commencing activation."

Suddenly, Kira had access to everything she needed. She took a deep breath and started with the first team on the list to help with this emergency. "Call Dino Thunder Red," Kira instructed the book.

"Hello?" Conner answered.

"Conner, it's me," Kira said.

"Hey, Kira. Can I call you back in ten minutes? I'm on the other li-"

"Doc O's missing!" Kira blurted out.

Conner paused for a split second before his tone changed. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. Get the team to Angel Grove immediately. This is not optional, so drag Ethan and Trent kicking and screaming if you have to... And bring Hayley, too. We may need her help." Hayley wasn't a Power Ranger, but she was an old friend of Tommy's and her genius brain had come in handy a lot when their team had been active back in high school.

"I'm on it," Conner promised.

"Conner... Hurry, okay? And have Hayley unlock the morphers. I think we're going to need them."

She stuck her head out into the hallway. "Dustin?" She called.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"Save me a few calls and call in your team?"

"Sure... Wait... Tori, too?"

"As long as she's not being mindfucked hardcore anymore, yeah. Tori's good. We need her for this."

He nodded. "I've got them. Call everyone else."

Kira mentally checked off the people she didn't need to call. The entire Samurai team was there except Lauren, who couldn't leave Shiba House anyway. She figured Kimberly, Billy, and Adam would alert the original and Legacy teams. If the Chosen kids heard about things from Caleb, they'd probably want to help, too. The entire RPM team was already in town along with their mentor, and, of course, the Mimic Force would be made aware the moment Sage told Troy her uncle was gone. Kira took the book and said, "Call Turbo Astro Pink." Call Cassie might have been easier, but Tommy liked to make everything sound like they were secret agents or something.

When Cassie answered, Kira tried to sound calm as she said, "The Phone Tree's been activated."

"What's going on?" Cassie asked.

"Tommy's been kidnapped." To her team, he'd always be Doc O, but to everyone else, he was the infamous Tommy Oliver.

"Again?" Cassie asked. Kira understood how she felt.

"Do you think your team will help?"

"You've got me and TJ. Ash is still in the hospital, and... Well..."

"I know what happened to Carlos," Kira said gently. "What are the chances Justin will help?"

"I think you already know."

"We have to ask him anyway. We could really use everyone."

"Do you want me to do it?"

"Please. He doesn't talk to anyone but you and TJ. Let me know if he says no and I'll try."

"Go easy on him, Kira... He's got issues."

"I know... But I also know how much he cares about Tommy. It's worth a shot."

"Want me to call in Andros and Zhane?"

"No, I'll call Andros. He isn't going to take this well... And he can tell Zhane and his sister. Maybe Karone can save me some time and call in anyone she can get from her team, too."

When Cassie hung up, Kira sighed and said, "Call Astro Red." She should have called Andros first. He was third from the top, right after her... But she had needed to get in touch with her own team first, just to reassure herself that they could do this. Cassie was simply in town and therefore more practical to notify first, but she knew she had to go in order now.

"Hey, Tommy," Andros said pleasantly. This special book was the best way to communicate between galaxies and realms, thanks to technology Tommy had developed with Hayley, so he almost always used it to reach Andros. Since they spoke fairly often, it wasn't immediate cause for alarm for Andros to get a call from that number.

"Andros... It's Kira," she said cautiously.

Andros immediately turned serious. "What happened to Tommy?" He knew that was the only reason she'd be calling him.

"He's missing. It seems several of the old baddies got together and kidnapped him... We don't have any details yet, but Sage is positive of that much. Which means..."

"We're calling in everyone," Andros guessed.

"Yeah... And this won't be like with the Mimic- I mean Megaforce Rangers, where their magic pulled us all from various points in time. We need to figure out where everyone scattered and bring as many of them to Angel Grove as possible."

"I'll be there soon. I need to tell Zhane, and I'll call Karone."

"Can you ask her to track down some of her team?"

"Of course. If nothing else, if Karone comes you automatically get Leo."

"Right, they got married... I can barely keep track of which Rangers shacked up with each other over the years... Anyway, good. Leo's a great person to have on our side."

"Should I call Cassie, TJ, and... Ashley?" He hesitated. Andros knew that Ashley had suffered a traumatic brain injury that left her with no memories of her time as a Power Ranger, or Andros, or almost anyone except for her daughter, who she recognized but couldn't remember conceiving. It had happened around the same time that Carlos had died, and no one really spoke about it because it upset them too much. Andros took it especially hard, so Kira was careful not to say too much on the subject.

"Ashley's still down for the count according to Cassie. She's handling TJ, and I think they're both going to try to talk the mini Ranger into helping."

"Mini Ranger?"

"Justin."

"Ah, right... He's an adult now. Hard to imagine. I haven't seen him since he helped us out years ago... He was only twelve or thirteen at the time."

"Yeah, he's a long-shot, but I'm hoping... We'll see."

"Where should I meet you?"

"I'll send you the coordinates soon... I need to make arrangements..."

"Kira... How's Katie?"

"Still unconscious, but Sage is waking her up. I don't think she's going to take this well."

Andros sighed. "I'll let you go. Let me know what else I can do to help."

Kira kept moving forward. This was going to take a while.

KATIE

Being forced back into consciousness hurt like a bitch. Katie mumbled a curse word as she opened her eyes. "Finally!" Sage said. "I swear to the Gods, if you'd resisted for another second, I was going to slap you until you woke up."

Jayden clung to her hand. "Katie..." He whispered, clearly relieved she was back.

Katie looked at Jayden and suddenly remembered what she'd done to him. She was horrified and couldn't look him in the eye. "What was so urgent?" She demanded.

"Your dad's missing," Sage said without preamble.

"He got kidnapped again?" Katie asked. "Great. So he'll probably come back as an active Power Ranger again. Wanna take bets on which color he'll be this time?"

"This is serious, Katie," Sage said.

"Dad gets kidnapped every few years. He's always fine. Who did it? Merkhet? I'll kill the bitch."

"Not just Merkhet, Katie," Jayden said gently. "It seems that several of the old bad guys united to plan this... The Machine Empire is back. So's Divatox. There are probably others involved as well. And... Well, we're pretty sure they're working with Zell."

Katie froze. Just like that, her world flipped. Merkhet, she could handle. Goldar? No problem! Even Divatox and the Machine Empire were easy enough to defeat. Their parents had done it, and she knew the history almost as well as Josh did... But Zell was different. Zell was more than a monster.

"This after Zell killed Caleb's parents and almost killed Caleb, too," Sage added.

"He... What? Oh my God... Oh my God, Sage! Is Caleb okay? Why would he do that?"

"Caleb stood up to him and refused to work with him."

"You missed a lot, Katie," Jayden said gently.

"Is my bitch mother handled?" She asked Sage, still unable to face Jayden.

"Liza trapped her in a necklace. She's not getting out anytime soon," Sage said.

"Good... Then we can handle this, right? We... We can get him back?" She felt tears in her eyes and forced them back. Her dad would be fine. He always was...

"Kira activated the Phone Tree. Expect an influx of Rangers shortly. The Samurai team's been here since the day I knocked you out, for Jayden, and the RPM team's all here."

"Okay, Jayden's team I get, but why the Rangers from Corinth?"

"Venjix is here. Did I forget to mention that?"

"Venjix? Son of a bitch... I really did miss a lot."

"Right. So get dressed and we'll feed you something and then we'll find out Kira's plan."

Sage left the room. "Katie... I'm really glad you're back," Jayden said.

"Jayden... I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"It's not your fault."

"Jay, I... I can't do this. I'm ending this."

"What?"

"I'm breaking up with you... You're better off."

"Katie, no. That's ridiculous. I love you, and you need me-"

"It's over. I mean it... I can't do this anymore. I can't deal with you!" She paused, realizing Jayden was living with her and that might complicate things. "You can stay here, of course. Kim moved out of her room and into Billy's, so you can-"

"No," Jayden said suddenly. "That's not necessary. I'll go bunk with Ji at the hotel." He stood up, and Katie knew she'd hurt him, but she also knew she had to do this.

"I'd understand if you just want to go back to Shiba House."

"I'm staying. This isn't about us, Katie. It's about Tommy. As a Power Ranger, it is my duty to help stop evil whether you're my girlfriend or not, and Tommy would never let a personal quarrel keep him from helping someone in need. Neither will I." He didn't look at her as he said, "I'll see you later." He raced out of the room.

A moment later, Sage burst back in. "What the hell did you do?" She demanded.

"I-" Katie began.

"Jayden ran out of here looking like you broke him. What did you do?"

"I broke up with him."

Sage shook her head. "After everything he's done... After he stayed by your side and begged you to wake up even though you tried to kill him!"

"That was my mom! I tried to stop her. I... I tried, Sage! She laughed at me! And I just can't deal with it. I can't face him. I failed him and he almost died and it's my fault! I can't handle being around him knowing that."

Sage glared at her before saying very firmly, "It's not about you, Katie. Not this time. Jayden is the most loyal guy in the world, and you threw him away because you can't deal with what happened?! Did you stop for two seconds to consider how he feels about it? Or what he might need to get through this? Did you consider that, maybe, the world doesn't revolve around you and what you want?" She shook her head. "You're a Goddamned idiot, Katie. You don't deserve him." Sage stormed off without another word.

Katie sat alone in her room and tried not to have a complete meltdown. Her dad was missing. That was the only thing she should be focusing on right now.

JAYDEN

He made it to the hotel and avoided most of his team. When he finally saw Ji, he asked, "Mind if I bunk with you for a while?"

"Of course not, Jayden," Ji replied. "What's wrong?"

"Tommy's missing. The bad guys took him. Kira is calling in everyone she can to help."

"Well, of course we'll do whatever she needs... As goes Tommy Oliver, so go the Power Rangers. He must be protected... What else is on your mind, Jayden?"

"Katie's awake."

"Excellent news! Why are you here?"

"She broke up with me, Ji." Saying it to Ji, his mentor, the man who'd raised him for most of his life made it real. Suddenly, Jayden started to cry, which he pretty much never did.

"Oh, Jayden..." Ji said gently. He put his hands on Jayden's shoulders.

"After everything... She just decided it's over. I know she's just upset about what happened with Katherine, and now to wake up and find out Tommy's gone, but... But..."

"But it hurts. I understand, Jayden. Believe it or not, I've had a few relationships end in my time, too."

Jayden looked at him and managed to ask with a slight smirk, "You've had relationships, Mentor?"

"I had a life before I met you," Ji said with a laugh.

Jayden knew he didn't have the luxury of dwelling on his emotions right now. He took a deep breath. "I need to tell the team about Tommy."

"I'll do it. Try to rest for a bit. I'll bring tea back with me." Ji gave him an encouraging hug before adding, "It will be okay, Jayden... Whatever happens, you will both get through this."

Jayden nodded and let Ji leave. He curled up on the bed, but he knew he wouldn't be able to rest. Too much had happened and they were about to enter a battle unlike any they had ever faced before.

CASSIE

She was holding TJ's hand as they arrived at Justin's current residence. He answered the door after they knocked the appropriate number of times. Justin's eyes immediately fell to their clasped hands.

"On again?" He teased them. "You guys give me whiplash." He let them inside.

"Uncle Teej!" Jared cried. "Aunt Cassie!" He hugged them both.

"We're not back together," Cassie clarified. "But old habits die hard."

"Please! Just get married already," Justin said as he rolled his eyes.

Cassie loved TJ, and they'd dated on and off for years, but TJ's struggle with substance abuse had gotten out of control and Cassie had been left with no choice but to break up with him. They'd remained close friends and TJ had been sober for years. He was doing well, and the two of them frequently found themselves drawn back to each other, but they usually decided it was less complicated to just be friends who occasionally turned into lovers than to actually date.

"She's too good for me," TJ said with a smirk.

"Damn right I am!" Cassie teased him.

"So, Justin... We need to talk," TJ said seriously.

"Jared, go work on your science project," Justin said. Jared only protested briefly before leaving to go to his room.

"What's going on?" Justin asked when they were alone.

"Look, Justin... I know you don't want to be involved in things-" TJ began.

"Correct... So please don't continue that sentence, TJ."

"It's just..."

"No, Teej. I'm out, remember?"

"Tommy's missing!" Cassie blurted out. Justin tensed and she knew this was her only chance to keep going. "The bad guys got together... Divatox, Goldar, the Machine Empire, and a bunch of others... They took him, Justin. They may have killed him, for all we know, but Sage seems pretty convinced he's still alive... But this... This is huge. We need all the help we can get."

"I... I can't," Justin said softly.

"But it's Tommy, Justin."

"I know, but... I just can't, Cassie... I'm sorry."

"Please, Jus-"

"Cassie." TJ said firmly. He placed a gentle hand on her arm and used the other to motion toward Justin, whose breathing was too rapid and shallow. "Let it go. It's okay, Justin. We understand."

"I'm sorry," Cassie said, feeling guilty. "I know it was unfair to put that on you... We're just desperate. Still love me?"

"Of course I do," Justin said. He still looked terrified. "I, um... I just need to..."

TJ grabbed a bottle off of the counter. He silently handed Justin an anti-anxiety pill and a bottle of water. Justin took the pill before taking a minute to try and calm his breathing. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Don't be," TJ said. He patted Justin on the back, eternally the kid's big brother. To Cassie, Justin would always be a kid... One she really cared about, which was why she kicked herself for pressuring him now.

"Will you be okay?" Cassie asked gently.

"As okay as I ever am... I really hope you guys find him soon," Justin said.

So do I, she thought. Aloud, she said, "We will. This isn't our first rodeo. Tommy getting kidnapped isn't exactly something new." But Tommy getting kidnapped by several different bad guys working together changes the game significantly, she added silently. For Justin's sake, she kept a casual smile on her face like she wasn't even slightly worried. She was pretty sure it didn't fool him.

TJ and Cassie said goodbye to Justin. "That went well," Cassie said dryly.

"He'll help," TJ said.

"TJ, he freaked out... I shouldn't have pressured him after he asked you not to tell him."

"He'll help, Cass. I know that kid. He's true blue, remember? He'll come around. I mean, he might not come fight by our sides or anything... But he'll help us. Once a Ranger, always a Ranger."

"Unless you have amnesia..." Cassie tried not to think about Ashley.

"Come here," TJ said knowingly. He pulled her into his arms. "You've still got me, Cassie. Always."

She nodded. His arms were so comforting, so familiar and safe... Cassie leaned her head on his chest and quickly found herself moving her mouth to his neck, then his chin, and finally his lips. Kissing TJ was a hard habit to break, and right now, she needed him.

"On again?" She asked as she briefly pulled away.

"Well, we do work best together..." TJ replied.

"We're not meeting everyone for a couple of hours yet. Come back to my room," Cassie said. TJ kissed her in response. Even though this was only temporary, the familiar dance was exactly what both of them needed right now.

KIRA

She had managed to rent out most of the hotel she'd already been staying at. A couple of rooms were booked, but most of the eight-story building was now set to be occupied by invading Power Rangers from all over the universe. Kira was pretty impressed with her major Adulting skills, but she knew she still had a long way to go.

Most of the people who'd agreed to come had arrived, either on their own, or Zordon had teleported them. She looked at the teams now. "Okay... Roll call," she said. Everyone looked to her as she began going down the list. The turnout was pretty impressive. Not many people said no when it came to saving Tommy Oliver.

"Let's start with the original guys... Representing the Mighty Morphin' and/or Zeo teams, we've got... Jason, Zack, Trini, Kimberly, Billy, Adam, Rocky, and Tanya..." She looked up as she called each of them, and they all stood there, ready to go.

"You forgot about me," someone said.

Kira looked at the man and paused. "And you are?" She asked.

"Trey!" Jason cried in surprise. He hugged him. "Kira, this is Trey of Triforia... The Gold Zeo Ranger, whose power I briefly held to help him out."

"Fantastic! I wasn't sure you'd be coming. You're not the easiest guy to contact," Kira said.

"Tommy is a friend," Trey replied.

"Moving on... We've got the Alien Rangers of Aquatar. Delphine, Aurico, Cestro, Tideus, and Corcus. All present?" Kira asked.

"Of course," Delphine said. "We understand the seriousness of this situation and are prepared to help."

"Great! Um... Turbo Rangers... I see Cassie and TJ. That's it, right?" Kira asked.

"Right," Cassie said. "We tried, but..."

"It's okay," Kira promised her. "Which brings us to..."

"Us!" Someone said with excitement.

"Zhane?" Cassie asked. Then she saw he wasn't alone. "Andros! Karone!"

"Hey, Cassie! TJ... It's great to see you guys again," Andros said.

"Karone and Leo here representing the Lost Galaxy Rangers... Sorry, I couldn't get anyone else on such short notice," Karone said.

"You're here. That's what matters," Kira replied. She looked at her list. "For Lightspeed Rescue, we have... Wait... Dana, you came?" She asked in surprise. Dana's husband Carter had died trying to save people from a burning building about a month before. Kira hadn't expected her to show up at all.

"Carter would have been here," Dana said. "Tommy was his friend. He'd want me here."

"And where my sister goes, I go," her brother Ryan added.

"Amazing! Thank you guys so much for coming," Kira said. "Moving on... For Time Force, we have... Jen, Wes, Katie, Lucas, and Trip... And then Eric, the Quantum Ranger, right?"

"All present and accounted for," Jen replied.

"Awesome. Repping Wildforce, we have... All of you? Merrick, Cole, Taylor, Max, Danny, and Alyssa?"

"Correct," Merrick said.

"Okay. Then, we have the Ninja Storm team... Dustin, of course."

"Right here, Babe," Dustin said cheerfully. "And Shane, Tori, Cam, Blake, and Hunter are all here, ready and eager to help."

"Fantastic. Then it's the greatest team ever! Also known as Dino Thunder... That's me, Conner, Ethan, Trent, and our lovely friend Hayley, who's not a Ranger, but who totally saved our butts on a regular basis. Next comes SPD... Who'd you bring, Bridge?" Kira asked the member of the team she was actively on with Adam.

"Me? Oh, right!" Bridge said. "I've got Z, because she's a badass, and Jack, because-"

"I have to make things right," Jack said. "Whatever I was used for, I'm here to fix it."

"Right," Kira said. "And then it's... Ah, Mystic Force. Who'd you round up, Xander?" She asked.

"Hi Everyone... I'm Xander," he said grandly. Kira rolled her eyes. "And these are my friends, Vida, her sister Madison, our leader Nick, and my boy Chip."

"Okay... Operation Overdrive, I know you guys... Mack, Rose, Dax, Will, Ronny, and Tyzonn. Thanks for coming out."

"You saved our butts when we lost our powers," Mack said.

"We owed you," Rose added.

"Consider your debt repaid," Kira said. "Jungle Fury... It's... Casey and RJ?"

"That's us," Casey said.

"Dominic's coming later, when we're ready to go into the battle... He doesn't have the attention span to wait around. Lily and Theo are on their way... I may have called them off of their honeymoon," RJ said. "They promised they'll be here sometime tomorrow."

"Seriously? That's dedication," Maddie said.

"RPM is next... Doctor K's leading the bunch, and we've got Scott, Summer, Dillon, Flynn, Gem, Gemma, and Ziggy... And Tenaya is here with them," Kira said. She looked at her list again. "Samurai Rangers... We've got Jayden, Mia, Emily, Kevin, Mike, Antonio, and of course, Mentor Ji in the house."

"All present and accounted for," Jayden confirmed.

"Good. Mimic Force..."

"Megaforce," Troy corrected her with a patient smile.

"Right. Sorry... But not really. Troy, Orion, Emma, Gia, Jake, and Noah... All present and ready to mimic," Kira said with a grin. "Now... Dino Charge... Holy shit, there's a lot of you guys... We all know Koda the caveman... And we've also got... Let's see... Tyler, Shelby, Chase, Riley, Kendall, um... Sir Ivan? You have a title?"

"I am a Knight of Zandar! Of course I have a title," Sir Ivan said.

"Alright... Sure. And then it's... James and... Seriously? And Phillip."

"Prince Phillip the Third," he corrected her.

"Yeah... I'm just gonna call you Phil, okay?" Kira asked.

He looked horrified and Kira laughed. "Okay. Next we have the Ninja Steel Rangers... Brody, Preston, Calvin, Hayley, Sarah, Levi, and Mick."

"We're here and ready to help," Brody said.

"These guys are the baby Rangers, everyone. Keep an eye on them," Kira said. "They're still very much active but were generous enough to answer my call for help." She paused. "Next, of course, are the Legacy Rangers... The new Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers... Sage, Kenny, Katie, Thorn, Josh, Zeke, and Maddie... Who is also part of the new Chosen. Now, we have other groups... Repping the Chosen, we've got the originals... Caius and Zedd... And of course, you all know Zordon, or you should. We've also got the new Chosen... Ollie, Tia, Caleb, Tamira, Taylor, Angie, and Brian. We also have... Alpha Twenty-Six..."

"And Alpha Six," Adam said cheerfully.

"Yo, yo, yo!" Alpha Six added.

"And, as a little surprise..." Kira said. She unveiled a special guest.

"Alpha Five!" Trini cried in shock.

"Hello, Rangers!" Alpha Five replied.

The original Rangers were all over him immediately, reunited for the first time in two decades. Zordon looked at Kira. "How?" He asked.

"I have connections," Kira said with a grin.

"Kira, you're amazing," Andros said. "I can see why Tommy trusts you so much."

"Thanks. Finally, that's Anise, Zordon's sister that we all just found out existed. So that's everyone for now," Kira said.

"I guess I'm a little late?" A voice asked.

Kira looked up and saw someone she didn't recognize standing in the doorway of the hotel's conference room. "Justin!" TJ said.

"You came!" Cassie added.

Justin looked nervous, but he nodded. "It's Tommy," he said simply.

"Welcome!" Kira said. "I'm really glad you're here." She smiled at him.

"And I brought a friend," he said. He opened the door up more to reveal a strange robot who followed him in.

"Alpha?" Caius and Zedd asked in unison.

"Hello, Friends," yet another Alpha said. "Thanks to my new friends Justin and Anise, I am back and better than ever."

"Alpha Prime..." Zordon said with a grin. He walked over to the robot and hugged him.

"So, now what?" Jason asked.

"Now, we get some rest. Tomorrow, I'll have everyone break into groups and we'll start figuring out what the hell we're going to do," Kira said.

As everyone socialized and got to know each other and the Mimic Force Rangers drooled over all the people they'd never had a chance to properly meet even in their big battle, Kira relaxed in Dustin's arms.

"I'm proud of you," Dustin told her. "Tommy will be impressed."

Kira kissed him. "Step One: Assemble the Rangers. Step Two: Kick all kinds of ass," she said. Looking at all of the people gathered in that room, she finally began to believe they might just stand a chance of pulling this off after all.

We're coming, Doc O, she promised silently. She hoped that on some level, he knew.


	28. Chapter Twenty-Eight

AUTHOR'S NOTE: There are two characters coming into this fic who belong exclusively to the wonderful Aura MacKenzie. She has been kind enough to allow me to borrow Zoey and V for this fic. Go check out her stuff on fanfiction.net. I hope you're all enjoying the story. We're getting very close to the end now.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

ANDROS

He'd spent the night by Kira's side. At about nine in the morning, she'd finally passed out on the couch she was curled up on while making lists. Andros had covered her with a blanket and taken her notes, finishing the last of her project for her so she could rest, but she'd woken up after barely an hour.

"Okay, Everyone," Andros said to the conference room full of Power Rangers at about noon. "Listen up. Kira has something to say."

The room fell silent. "Okay, guys... I have put everyone into groups for training purposes. Now, just because you're in one group, that doesn't mean you're not training in everything. It's just a way to put everyone where I think they can be used the best. Everyone needs physical training, a lot of you can work with some form of magic, and I'd like everyone to get basic first aid training in case, but we'll have a set group of official medics, too. Anyway, here goes...First off, we've got Leadership. I made this list based on people who are already leading everyone here in Angel Grove or who I think will be assets to us as leaders. If you have an issue, these are the people you should see, and in battle, you listen to us above anyone else. So, first, there's obviously me. Zordon is in this group for very obvious reasons, and Alpha Twenty-Six is with him because he's been a leader for the Legacy team since before they got their powers. Andros here was the leader of the Astro Rangers. He's amazing. Doc O trusts him unconditionally and so do I. Jayden is the Red Samurai Ranger. He took it upon himself to train all of the kids here when no one asked him to. He did an amazing job and has proven he's more than worthy of a leadership title. "

"It would be an honor," Jayden said seriously.

"And finally... Dustin is the Yellow Ninja Storm Ranger."

"Wait... I'm leadership?" Dustin asked.

"You took over training when we desperately needed someone. You rose to the occasion and proved you can work with anyone without an issue and get them where they need to be, and I trust you. So yes, you're leadership."

"I'll try to make you proud," he said with a smile.

"Moving on... Andros, please read off Team Badass..."

Andros took her list and said, "This is the team for people who excel at physical combat. Either you're great with Martial Arts or just exceptionally fierce and disciplined. Jason, Trini, Adam, Cassie, TJ, Delphine, Aurico, Corcus, Leo, Ryan, Wes, Jen, Katie Walker, Cole, Alyssa, Tori, Hunter, Conner, Mack, Tyzonn, Casey, Scott, Summer, Mia, Emily, Troy, Orion, Gia, Koda, Sir Ivan, James, Calvin, Hayley Foster, Sarah, Levi, Thorn, Maddie, Ollie, and Tamira, you will all be in this group."

Several of them nodded. Most reacted with a level of pride at being in that group. Kira looked at Dustin. "You read the next one," she said.

"Okay... So here we have Team Goofball. You guys are the ones who make us laugh and are unpredictable... It's Zack, Rocky, Blake, Bridge, Chip, RJ, Antonio, Jake, Chase, and Brian. And then there's the Breakfast Club... Similar to the Goofballs, but going that extra mile... You guys are the people who live in Detention, and are our true wild cards... Zeke, Taylor Campbell, Mike, and when he gets here, Dominic."

"What am I? Chopped liver? Because that sounds like my scene," someone said as she walked in. Andros smiled at Zoey indulgently. The senior at Angel Grove High was Zhane's long-lost daughter, making her family.

"Zoey!" Zeke cried with delight. Andros knew Zoey had been Zeke's closest non-Ranger friend from his first day at Angel Grove.

"Freshman!" Zoey replied cheerfully. "And Freshman's Freshman," she added, looking at Taylor. Zoey had adopted Zeke as her freshman when she realized they were going to be in detention together every day. She refused to stop calling him her freshman even though he was now a junior. When it had become clear that Taylor was a regular in detention, too, Zeke had adopted him, so Zoey had deemed the sophomore Zeke's freshman. When she wasn't terrorizing the high school, Zoey spent her time looking out for both of the younger boys.

"Zoey. Right. Definitely Breakfast Club," Kira said. "I'd have put you with the next group, but I'm not separating you from Zeke and Taylor. You three will work well together... Which brings us to... The Smooth Criminals, " Kira said, singing the group name in her best Michael Jackson impression. "Either you're literal criminals who are great at breaking, entering, and stealing, or you're smooth talkers who can literally talk your way out of anything... Lucas, Tideus, Z, Jack, Xander, Will, Ziggy, and Brody, that's you guys." She passed the list to Jayden.

"Genius League," Jayden said. "These are the tech wizards, the people who are skilled at building things, and the brainiacs. Billy, Justin, Cestro, Trip, Cam, Ethan, Hayley Ziktor, Madison, Rose, Flynn, Gem, Gemma, Doctor K, Noah, Shelby, Riley, Kendall, Preston, Mick, Caius, Josh, Caleb, Alpha Five, and assuming Dominic brings her, Fran." He paused, then said, "Team Magic. This is the spellworking group. Trey, Karone, Vida, Zedd, Sage, Tia, Angie, Liza, and Anise."

"Team Monkey," Andros read, taking the list, "is made up of the very agile and brave. It's Kimberly, Kenny, Zhane, Max, Lily, Dax, and Tyler." He paused. "Team Medic will be those with medical training, healing powers, or a strong empathy for others... Tanya, Dana, Danny, Mentor Ji, Emma, Alpha Prime, and David." He looked at Tommy's brother, who nodded in agreement. He could have been on Team Magic, but David had the skills needed to help heal, and that was more important right now.

"And finally," Kira said, taking the list back, "we have Team Attitude. These are the people who work best alone, either because they dislike people, or they have a reputation for having a bad attitude. Don't be offended. You guys all have a variety of useful skills. It's Eric, Taylor E, Merrick, Shane, Nick, Ronny, Theo, Dillon, Kevin, my boy Phil, Alpha Six because he's all attitude... And Katie. I love you, Kiddo, but you know why you need to be on that team."

Andros studied Katie's reaction. She didn't try to fight Kira, but it was obvious she wasn't happy. Andros was very attached to Katie. He'd known her for her entire life... But he also knew that she had caused a lot of trouble and he'd always looked away.

V squeezed his hand. He hadn't realized she'd joined them. He looked into his wife's eyes and relaxed slightly. Andros refocused on the mission at hand. "Everyone, this is my wife, V," he said. "She'll be working with the Genius League because she's excellent with weapons, but don't assume that means she's not a warrior..."

"Yeah, she can kick everyone's asses," Zhane piped up cheerfully.

"Including yours," Zoey reminded him with a laugh.

"That's what little sisters are for," V said with a smile. Andros tried to cover up a laugh of his own.

"Say, do we get groups?" A voice asked.

"Monster! Get it!" Someone shouted. Andros mentally went down the list of Rangers and recognized her as Ronny from Operation Overdrive. She looked ready to run at Rito Revolto and tackle him. Andros understood the impulse. What was Rito doing there? He had two other monsters with him.

"He's with us," Sage said quickly. "They all are."

"Uh... I wasn't aware they'd be joining our side, but... Sure. Why the hell not, right?" Kira asked. "So... Um... I have no idea. No teams, just do what feels right and don't get in anyone's way."

"We get to help? Yay!" Squatt said cheerfully. Andros was pretty sure he posed no real threat to them.

"Great," Rito said.

"Pardon me? Kira, correct?" Finster asked.

"Yep. What's up?" Kira asked.

"I believe the skill I have that will be most useful at this time is my ability to mend wounds. I have had a lot of practice."

"Awesome. Finster, Team Medic. I think that's everyone. So... Let's do this. Go, Go, Power Rangers!" Kira said.

The sound of something shattering gave away the fact that their meeting wasn't as private as they'd hoped. Andros automatically reached for his weapon before he saw someone he recognized staring at them in shock, a ceramic coffee cup shattered at his feet.

BULK

Living in a hotel wasn't so bad really. It sure as hell beat jail, and Skull and Spike were just down the hall from him. He was getting used to it. The hotel had gotten very crowded overnight, and now Bulk realized the conference room was heavily occupied. He wondered if there was a convention in town. He walked closer to the room and heard someone say, "Go, Go, Power Rangers."

Immediately, Bulk peaked inside. What he saw blew his mind... Tons of people he didn't know, along with Cassie, TJ, Andros, and Zhane, who he knew very well were Power Rangers, were all inside... And to his great shock, Billy, Kimberly, Jason, and the rest of the bunch were with them, along with their kids...

Suddenly, it clicked. "You guys are the Power Rangers! Everything finally makes sense! The way you always acted like you had a huge secret, the way you disappeared during battles... I just... Damn. How did I not figure this out sooner?" Bulk asked.

"Bulk, no... Of course we're not-" Jason began.

"No. He saved my son's life, Jason," Billy said firmly. "Bulk deserves to know the truth. I trust him."

"That's good enough for me," Kira said. "Bulk... You can't tell anyone, okay?"

"Of course not... But wait. You can't tell me all of you were Power Rangers but Tommy wasn't. Where is he?" Bulk asked.

"Tommy's missing," Andros explained. "A bunch of monsters from various generations of the Rangers took him. That's why so many of us are here."

Bulk paused. He took a deep breath. "I want to help," he said. "Just tell me how."

"Can you fight?" Kira asked.

"Definitely," Bulk said.

She shrugged. "Jayden, if I stick him on Team Badass, can you get him up to snuff?"

"Yeah. Bulk's got the heart of a Power Ranger," Jayden said.

"Thanks, but... Do we know each other?" Bulk asked.

That was when someone he recognized stepped forward. "We're the Samurai Rangers," Mia said sweetly. "Me, Jayden, Emily, Mike, Kevin, and Antonio." She motioned to each person as she named them. Bulk recognized Emily and took a nervous step back.

"Holy... Pink, right?" Bulk guessed as he focused back on Mia.

"Yes. How did you guess?" Mia asked.

"Spike's just like his father... He's got a thing for the Pink Rangers... He's going to flip when he realizes-"

"I thought we agreed you weren't telling anyone," Kira reminded him.

"Skull and Spike aren't just anyone. Skull and I have been helping the Power Rangers since before some of you were born, and Spike and I trained as Samurai together... Sort of."

"Hey, if they can survive Emily playing Drill Sergeant, they can survive anything," Mike teased. Emily blushed.

"He's right," said the older man Bulk recognized as the owner of their Dojo... Or so he'd thought... "With help, Bulk and Spike both have the potential to be warriors... I assume Spike's father is the same."

"Fine, but let's not involve anyone else," Kira said.

"Lieutenant Stone," Bulk said. "He can help you guys, too."

"His connections may be helpful," Billy admitted.

"Okay, valid point," Kira agreed. She took a deep breath. "One more thing, for the Rangers only... Zordon can restore some of the powers to former Rangers, but not all. I'll let him discuss that."

Bulk stared in shock at the infamous Zordon and immediately stood at attention. This was major, and maybe a little bit crazy, but he'd just been accepted into the circle of Power Rangers. He'd wanted this for most of his life. He listened intently as Zordon began to speak.

ZORDON

"This is going to be a bit complicated," Zordon began. "If you are willing to step up to become a full and active Power Ranger again, with the ability to morph and all of your old powers, please accept when I call your name... Every Ranger on the Mighty Morphin' team is already represented by the Legacy Rangers. Because the balance of power is delicate, we cannot have multiple Rangers with the same powers... As it is, Adam and Thorn are both using the Mighty Morphin' Black coins. They cannot be morphed at the same time in the same location, so they will have to be kept apart for this battle. This does not, however, mean that none of the original team members can be restored... Kimberly and Billy, I can make you the Pink and Blue Ninjetti again. Will you accept this?"

Kimberly didn't hesitate. "Absolutely," she said.

Billy was less certain. He considered it for several moments before saying, "Yes. Yes, I accept."

Zordon had known Billy would agree. He couldn't turn his back on this fight. In many ways, he was more invested than any of them. Zordon moved on, uncertain of how the next Ranger he wanted to restore would react. "Trey, you are already actively the Gold Zeo Ranger... I would like to restore two more Zeo Rangers... Rocky... Will you become the Blue Zeo Ranger again?"

Rocky nodded. "I'm in," he said.

"Dad, what about your back?" Zeke asked.

"I walked away from being a Ranger when I got injured, but if there was ever a time to finish what I started, it's now," Rocky said. "I'll be careful."

"Very good," Zordon said, relieved. He'd been half certain Rocky would refuse. "And Tanya-"

"Zeo Ranger Two... Yellow!" She said with a grin. Zordon hadn't even questioned that. Tanya was still every bit a Power Ranger.

"Now... For the Turbo team..."

"No," Justin said firmly.

"I fully respect that decision, Justin," Zordon reassured him. "I can only restore one of you... It's going to be-"

"Cassie." TJ said.

"What?" Cassie asked.

"You deserve it," TJ said. "You're a better Ranger than me anyway."

"That's true," Cassie said with a laugh.

Zordon wasn't trying to read TJ's mind, but his thoughts radiated from him desperately. Keep her safe, he silently begged. Zordon understood now... No matter what happened in the battle, TJ was prepared to fight, but if only one of them could have the added protection of the Ranger powers, he wanted it to be Cassie.

"Cassie... Welcome back to being the Pink Turbo Ranger," Zordon said. He'd intended to restore TJ, because the Red Ranger was the leader, but he knew Cassie would be just as good, if not better. TJ looked at him gratefully and Zordon smiled at him reassuringly.

"Rocking," Cassie said with a grin.

"Astro Rangers, you already have your powers, as do the Rangers of Aquatar," Zordon continued. "Leo and Karone, since you brought your Quasar Sabers with you, you are once again active as the Red and Pink Galaxy Rangers." The Quasar Sabers were the only tools they needed to be Rangers, as their powers had never actually been removed.

"We won't let you down," Leo promised.

"Ryan and I have our morphers," Dana told Zordon. "We're ready to go." Like Leo and Karone, it was only a matter of having these tools for the brother and sister to access their powers.

"Very good," Zordon said. "Timeforce Rangers, you are all still active. Wildforce... Princess Shayla gave Cole and Taylor back their morphers before sending them to us, and she never took Merrick's away. Merrick, you are still the Lunar Wolf Ranger. Cole and Taylor have become active again as the Red and Yellow Rangers."

"We're ready to help!" Cole replied eagerly.

"We've got this," Taylor added confidently. She smiled at Zordon. Merrick nodded at him respectfully, but said nothing.

"For Ninja Storm... You all have active powers from your Ninja training," Zordon began. "Dustin and Tori already have their Ranger powers back. I cannot restore anyone else on the team." Shane looked offended, but he stayed silent. "For Dino Thunder, Kira has her powers already... And I'm going to restore the entire team. Hayley has brought all of your morphers with her."

"Wait... Why do they get their powers back?" Shane demanded, unable to remain quiet any longer.

"Tommy led their team. They are closer to him than almost any of you, and their powers tie them to Tommy. The last time he was a fully active Ranger, it was with that team. I believe that if any team needs to be fully restored, it is this one."

"Or, because Zordon said so, Shane! This is why you're on Team Attitude," Kira said. Shane was wise enough not to say anything else.

"Ahem... Moving on. SPD. You are all active... Z is the Yellow Ranger. However, Bridge and Jack cannot both be Red..."

"Bridge," Jack said.

"Jack-" Z objected.

"No, Z. In this time period, Bridge acts as the Red Ranger. It's his right... And quite frankly, I'm here because the bad guys used me. I don't deserve to be the leader, and I shouldn't be trusted with a morpher. It's okay. I can fight without it." Jack looked at Bridge. "I know you'll make us proud."

"Jack... Thanks, man," Bridge said, his shock clear.

"Bridge, then," Zordon agreed. He was proud of Jack for making the right decision. "Mystic Force... Xander, you are already active, and Vida, I know you have your magic, but not your morphing powers back, because you've recently been made the mentor of a new team. With you being an active team mentor, I cannot restore your Ranger powers, so use your magic wisely to make up for that. I cannot restore anyone else from your team."

"Nick has magic, too," Madison said.

"Yes, yes... I forgot he was born with his magic," Zordon said. "Use it well. Now, for Operation Overdrive... Mack, your father returned your morpher to you, so you are once again the Red Ranger."

"I'm thrilled to be back!" Mack said.

"For Jungle Fury... You all have magic, but it is Casey who will be restored as the Red Ranger."

"Thank you, Zordon," Casey said. He bowed his head respectfully.

"We can fight without morphing," Theo promised. He and Lily had arrived shortly before this meeting began.

"We're happy to help however we can," Lily added, wrapped in his arms and clearly happy about this. It amazed Zordon that they had walked away from their honeymoon just to help with this battle. It spoke highly of them both.

"Very good. Now, the RPM team has new morphers which Venjix cannot infect. The Samurai, Megaforce, Dino Charge, and Ninja Steel teams are all still active. Rangers, rest assured, even without powers, you are the greatest force of good in this world. I believe in you, " Zordon said.

"Alright, guys," Kira said. "Those who are getting their powers restored, see Zordon. The rest of you, get to the locations I texted you. Physical training is at our top secret Dojo and will be led by Jayden and Dustin. Magic training's in a sacred space in the woods that Sage set up this morning. Genius League, all your tech and toys are in the huge suite on the fourth floor, which I've secured exclusively for our use until this is all over. Billy has the key. Go where you're supposed to and we'll meet up and touch base later."

As everyone came toward him, Zordon was incredibly proud of them. Some of them had been out of action for two decades, yet they had agreed to rejoin the fight against evil at great risk to their personal safety. He looked at them and prayed that, against all odds, they'd all somehow make it out of this alive.

MIKE

He noticed Katie standing off by herself looking upset. "Hey..." He said cautiously.

"Come to kick my ass and tell me I'm a bitch for breaking up with Jayden?" Katie asked.

"Nope. I came to ask how you're doing."

"Wait... Really?" Her surprise was clear. "Your whole team shunned me. Even Emily gave me a dirty look."

"Well, you know... You broke his heart, Katie. We don't take that lightly... But that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a friend. I messed up and you helped me. I'm returning the favor. People fuck up sometimes, but that doesn't mean they're bad people. So I'm here for you, Katie."

Katie smiled at him. "Thanks, Mike. That actually means a lot."

"And when you get through this, I'm sure Jay and Kay will be stronger than ever!"

"No one calls me Kay, " she said with a laugh.

"Would you prefer Kayden? Or Jatie?"

"You're such a dork!"

"You love it... And you love him, Katie. No matter what you say."

"I do love him. That's why I had to break up with him... For his sake."

"Katie... Jayden can take care of himself. You don't have to protect him. All this is doing is hurting him."

"Mike, please just... Just try to understand where I'm coming from."

"I am. And I get it. Emily's way too good for me, but she chooses to stay with me anyway. That's how relationships work." He squeezed her hand encouragingly. "Just don't give up on love yet, okay?"

"Right now, all that matters is getting my dad back."

"You're right... So let's work on that."

"Mike... Thanks. Really. I thought all of you would hate me."

"None of us hate you, Katie."

"Kevin does."

"Kev strongly dislikes you, but he strongly dislikes pretty much everyone except Jayden and Mentor Ji... Well, and Emily. It's impossible to dislike Emily. But anyway, you're in good company when it comes to Kevin."

Katie surprised him by hugging him. Mike held her tightly, feeling how much she needed the comfort of basic human contact. "I've got your back, Katie. I promise," he said. She nodded and stayed in his arms for another minute before pulling herself together. Mike hoped she'd be okay. He genuinely liked Katie and he knew Jayden would want someone to check on her, especially while her father was missing. He was happy to help.

JASON

Team Badass had gathered in the training area. Jason studied the others who were present. Most made sense, but one of Kira's choices left him baffled. He watched Emily trip over her own two feet. Jayden automatically steadied her and she smiled at him gratefully. Jason could tell Jayden had a lot of practice catching the girl.

He didn't know Emily too well, but from what he'd seen, the bubbly blonde was a complete sweetheart. He wasn't so sure she belonged with the "badasses," but seeing her with Jayden, Jason understood. Kira had put her in this group because they'd be working the closest with Jayden and the poor boy wasn't letting anyone in to take care of him. It was clear Emily was the one person he wouldn't push away.

"Emily, right?" Jason asked her.

"Yeah," she said cheerfully.

"Would you like to work with me? I run a Dojo and I'm very comfortable adapting to the pace of other people." Jason was concerned that Emily might end up working with someone who went too hard on her and get hurt. She was a sweet girl and he wanted to make sure she stayed safe during all of this.

"Sure!" She replied eagerly.

"Okay. Let's start off slow, Sweetheart. You take the lead and come at me."

"Okay," Emily said sweetly.

"Oh, this'll be good..." Jason heard Bulk mumble. He wasn't sure what that was about.

Suddenly, Emily came at him with way more force than he expected. She knocked him down easily, sweeping his legs out from under him, and pinned him down flawlessly.

The entire Dojo, including Jayden, burst out laughing. "Oh, I'm sorry," Emily said innocently. "Was that too much?" She extended her hand to Jason with an infectious grin on her face and Jason started laughing, too.

"Good form," he said as he took her hand and stood back up.

"Priceless!" TJ declared, putting away the phone he'd clearly just recorded that on.

"Jason, you should know better than to doubt a Yellow Ranger," Trini said with a laugh.

"Emily, you're my new favorite Ranger," Ollie informed her.

Emily blushed before taking a bow. "Never underestimate a Samurai," she said.

"Exactly," Jayden said. "Now that that's out of the way... Let's get started. Everyone, work at the pace you're comfortable with and show me what you can do. Don't worry about showing off. We can build the skills up to where they need to be. I know several of you are out of practice. I need to see what level you're currently at."

As they began training, Jason focused. There was too much at stake. They needed to get in shape and fast.

ONE WEEK LATER.

BILLY

He was in absolute Heaven. Kira had gathered an impressive amount of tech for what she'd dubbed the Genius League. Josh stood by Billy's side and it almost felt like old times... Except everything had changed. Billy tried not to focus on that as he heard Justin declare, "Guys, look at this!" He had the enthusiasm of a child and it made Billy smile.

"Is that a laser?" Josh asked.

"To be technically crude and grossly understated, yes," Doctor K said. "More on point, this seemingly basic laser is actually a fully functional weapon, communicator, teleportation device, and ocular enhancement tool."

"It does all of that?" Josh asked in awe.

"It also has a lighter function," Justin said. "Doctor K is amazing!"

"Did you utilize a reconstructed cellular structure in the energy source? With enhanced cells for longer durability and use?" Billy asked as he really studied it.

Doctor K looked stunned. "I... Yes. How did you know?" She was clearly impressed.

"It's what I would have done," he replied. "Excellent work, Doctor K."

"Your knowledge is as impressive as they say, Mighty Morphin' Blue," she replied respectfully.

"Billy," he said pleasantly. "Josh is the Blue Ranger now. I'm just Billy."

"Not true," Josh said. "Technically, you're the Blue Ninjetti Ranger."

"The Ninjetti stuff is a power, not technically its own team... But yes, I am the Blue Ninjetti." It was odd to admit this. Billy had been behind-the-scenes, making weapons and staying at the Command Center during battles since the team had become the Zeo Rangers. To have an active power again was unexpected and was going to take some getting used to.

"Billy, then," Doctor K said.

"And do you prefer Doctor K?" Billy asked.

"Doctor K is the only name I have," she explained.

"She grew up in a think tank," Josh added. "It was called Alphabet Soup, and they called her K. She's probably the top genius they had. They kept her there at all times and told her she was allergic to the sun, which was a lie. She created Venjix as a teenager because they forced her to, but she wanted to go outside, so she released it as a distraction. She had a firewall, but they stopped her before she could install it, which is how Venjix got as out of control as it did."

"You've done your homework," Doctor K said with respect. "I don't know my real name anymore. I was only five when they started calling me K."

"That's horrible," Billy said. He couldn't imagine what she had been through growing up like that.

"Why would your parents leave you in a place like that?" Justin asked.

"The answer is quite simple, Turbo Ranger Blue... I don't have parents. I had no family. I don't remember anything about why or how, but I know I was living in a group home when they found me," Doctor K said.

Josh stiffened. He looked at her and said softly, "You're probably better off not remembering."

"Josh spent three years in places like that," Billy explained gently. "While I was missing."

Doctor K looked at Josh sympathetically. "From all I have heard about you, you're a very strong person, Mighty Morphin Blue. A difficult past can break us or make us strong. I understand not growing up like other children."

"You can call me Josh," he said awkwardly.

"I apologize... I have a tendency to be a bit cold at times, especially when I know something very bad might happen to the people I care about. Keeping you all at a distance is my way of trying to keep from feeling the loss when some of us inevitably die."

"I get that. I'm not great at letting people in either."

Billy caught a flash of Doctor K's eyes and realized how familiar they looked. Out of nowhere, images began to hit him. He hadn't had a flashback in a while and this was extremely unexpected.

Merkhet was screaming in agony. The baby was coming and she'd lost too much blood to deliver it herself. "Do something! I order you!" She screamed.

Billy sprang into action, delivering the child. As he finally freed her, she looked up at him with big eyes that seemed to read him. The wonder in them was beautiful, and he suddenly remembered Josh's birth...

Merkhet studied him with cruel amusement. "Go ahead and give it a name," she said with a laugh as she began healing herself. "It's yours, after all."

Looking into her tiny face, he wanted to give her a name that meant something... He couldn't remember anything from before, but the letter K called to him... It gave him comfort, though he couldn't recall who the K name that soothed him belonged to. He went with the first name he could coherently think of with his thoughts largely blocked to prevent him from fighting... Kristina.

The next day, when Billy asked Merkhet where Kristina was, she laughed at him. "I killed her and threw her corpse into space to rot," she said with glee. "You've lost another child... Just like you lost Josh... At least you didn't kill this one yourself." Everything had shattered in his mind then. He'd attacked Merkhet in a blind fit of rage until she'd electrocuted him multiple times. After that, he'd simply laid there, defeated, unable to remember why he felt like his heart was breaking.

"Dad..." Josh called gently, snapping Billy back to the present.

"I... I'm sorry," Billy said. "I have to go." He ran off before they could stop him and headed straight to his personal lab. He didn't want to remember this, but he had to. For three years, Merkhet had held him prisoner. She'd forced him to do a lot of things, including creating weapons for her, but what Billy tried the hardest to forget was the fact that on more than one occasion, when Billy couldn't remember his own name, she'd ordered him to have sex with her. Completely under her control, Billy hadn't had the capacity to refuse, and he was fairly certain Kristina's conception had been intentional. With that being the case, why would Merkhet have murdered the baby? Unless, of course... She hadn't.

Time worked differently on Corinth. He knew it was possible that Merkhet had left the baby there, but why would she? If she'd intentionally gotten pregnant, why abandon the child? Billy needed answers. He had samples of everyone's DNA, so he did something a bit unethical and tested Doctor K's against his own.

"Kristina..." He whispered as the results came back positive. He didn't know whether to cry or sigh with relief that his daughter was still alive... He only knew he needed time to process the news before he told anyone, even Josh, the truth.

DORA

She was shoplifting. Okay, so maybe it was wrong, but a girl had to eat, right? Dora didn't have many options. She'd run away from her latest foster parents six weeks earlier and had been living on the street ever since. One thing Dora excelled at was survival. You know, except when visions hit her at inopportune moments.

She tried not to think about what had happened recently... She'd had a vision while crossing the street. She'd vaguely heard a voice shouting, "Stop!" Then she'd seen the car, frozen and up on its front wheels like it had been magically lifted and held back, inches from her.

She'd recognized her savior. Angeline's naturally lavender hair made her stick out in Dora's memory from an endless sea of foster kids. They'd been in the same home for three weeks before Dora had run again. Everyone swore she had freaky powers, but Dora had never seen them for herself until that day.

"Um... That's new," Angie had mumbled.

The boy with her was probably her boyfriend, judging from the way he looked at her. "Angie... It's time to put the nice man down," he'd said gently.

"Oh... Right," Angie had replied, seeing that Dora was safe. She'd released the car and it had sped off. "Um... Dora, I can explain-"

Dora had run off before she could. It wasn't that she was afraid of the magic, but Dora had magic, too, and she couldn't risk drawing that kind of attention to herself.

Now, as Dora ate some of the chicken she'd stolen, she heard a soft "meow" from nearby. The cat who approached her looked too skinny. It rubbed up against her leg as cats usually did when Dora was around, and Dora sighed. "Here, Girl," she said sweetly, offering most of the chicken to the starving animal. Dora figured she could steal more food eventually, but the cat needed help. It purred now as she stroked her behind her ear.

Suddenly, more cats showed up. These had no interest in being fed, but they urgently began meowing and Dora knew something was wrong. Sensing she was in danger, she stood, ready to run. Several of the cats began hissing at something behind her. Dora turned and stared at a strange man.

"Pandora Grant," he said.

She thought about denying it, but she had a feeling this wasn't just another clueless case worker from Children's Services. "Who's asking?" She replied, trying to find an escape route.

"My name is Deker, Pandora."

"It's Dora," she snapped. "I don't know if my Mom named me after a jewelry store, a streaming service, or the chick who unleashed all of the problems upon the world because she had one job and sucked at it, but either way, I hate my name."

He looked at her with confusion. "Dora," he finally agreed. "You are to come with me."

"I don't think so."

"You have no choice."

"I'm not going back to that place, okay? I'll just run again, so why don't you save yourself the paperwork and forget you ever saw me?"

"I am here to bring you to your father, Dora."

She hadn't expected that. "What?" She asked.

"I work for the same people he does. He is very eager to be reunited with you."

"Bullshit. My father has never been in my life. Why now?"

"You'll find out soon."

Dora took off running. With impossible speed, Deker got in front of her. He pulled out a sword. "I don't want to harm you, Dora. There is no honor in attacking a child... But I will if you force my hand."

She ran the other way, not going anywhere with some crazy guy with a sword. Dora kept running until she got dizzy and stumbled. She hadn't eaten enough.

To her shock, Deker steadied her. He studied her for a moment before pulling out a sandwich. Dora stared at him. "Eat," he said. "You haven't eaten a proper meal in days."

"How did you know?" Dora asked, too weak to refuse the food.

"I've been watching you, Dora. Come with me and you'll never have to steal food to survive again."

Dora sighed. Maybe she should see where this went. If it turned ugly, she could always bolt again. "Okay," she said. "Where are we going?"

THE NEXT DAY.

SAGE

She was standing near her father when they both saw TJ fall on his butt. Cassie hooted with laughter as Justin stood over him. Justin shrugged apologetically and helped TJ back up. "I just wanted to see if I could still do that," he said with a laugh.

"A leg sweep? Really? You're lucky I love you, Kid," TJ said with a good-natured chuckle.

"Adam... Sage... Can I talk to you guys for a minute?" Justin asked.

"Sure," Adam replied. Sage and her father followed Justin to a more private area.

Justin sighed before saying, "Adam... I trust you. I need your help."

"Of course," her father replied. "With what?"

"I kept in shape... Practiced my Martial Arts on my own, and even trained my son... But I don't know if I can hold my own in a real fight. I don't deal well with most people getting too close, so I'm out of practice, but I know I am very likely going to end up in the middle of everything... I don't want to, but I'm realistic. And I am not leaving my son an orphan because I was too scared to fight... So... Can you help me train?"

"Of course I can. That's not a problem at all," he promised.

"And as for Sage... Can we speak alone?"

"Sure," Sage said. "Go on, Dad. I'll find you later." He nodded and left. "What's up, Justin?"

"You're a Shaman... I know you help people cope with trauma and mental health issues... I need a lot of help in that department, but right now, I just need to be able to get through this fight... Can you help me with my anxiety?" Justin asked.

"I can help you heal from your trauma, too," Sage replied. "You just need to trust me."

"I'm not very good at the whole trust thing... But you're Adam's daughter... You're Casey's daughter... And she was amazing with me. If I got scared or if I was upset, Casey always knew how to help. I figure with those two for parents, you're definitely trustworthy... So I'll try."

"Okay. That's all I ask," Sage said. She could feel the deep scars on Justin's psyche. He'd been through hell, and a quick read of his energy told her a lot of it had been at the hands of her aunt. She knew then that she had to help Justin. His heart was pure, and he deserved some peace.

"Do I need to be off of my meds for this?"

"Yeah, that would help."

Justin sighed. "I can't sleep without them... But I'll do it."

"I can ease your mind so you don't have nightmares."

He nodded. "Tonight, then?"

"Sure."

"I'll bring you to my place."

Sage knew how much effort it was taking for Justin to let her in. She smiled at him encouragingly. "Great," she said. "I'll see you in a bit." She tried to ignore the odd feeling in the pit of her stomach.

LIZA

She was really getting sick of having a bitch around her neck. Katherine was not happy to be there, and she frequently overwhelmed Liza with her endless rants and pointless bitching. It was giving Liza a headache.

Let. Me. Out! Katherine screamed inside of her head.

Not even if hell freezes over. Twice, Liza replied.

I almost killed you, Little Witch Bitch.

Liza wasn't exactly thrilled as Katherine replayed the memory in her mind. As soon as Liza exorcised Katherine from her daughter's body, Katherine took on a physical form, manifesting just strongly enough that she could attack Liza. She'd been prepared for a fight and fought back appropriately. Liza had held her own well, because Katherine might be a bitch, but so was she. With every ounce of power she had, Liza had called upon the power of the entire Campbell Sorcery line. Even her siblings had unknowingly lent her their power. This had worked well, and although Katherine had caused a lot of physical injury to her, Liza had done more damage. Katherine became trapped inside of the necklace that now never left Liza's neck and Liza had collapsed after smugly saying, "I win, Bitch."

She'd woken up on the floor, in Zedd's arms. As she opened her eyes, she found herself staring into his. My God, he's fucking gorgeous, she'd thought. Then, she'd realized that, rather heroically, Zedd had clearly swooped in to save her. She saw relief in his eyes, but also a deep pain. Zedd was clearly carrying a lot of baggage. Why are the damaged ones always so sexy? She wondered.

"Zedd..." She said softly.

He looked away quickly. "You're going to be fine now," he reassured the floor. He stood, not releasing Liza, and she actually swooned. Liza never swooned. She was definitely crushing hard.

Zedd gently set her down on her feet and let her go. "Thanks," she said flirtatiously.

"Of course," he said, still not looking at her. Without another word, Zedd fled, and Liza was left wondering if he'd ever be willing to stay in a room with her for more than ten seconds while she was awake.

She could feel Katherine laughing at her now. Pathetic, she taunted her. He'll never love you, you know. You're nothing to him and he doesn't remember how to love anymore.

"Okay, enough. I do not need romantic advice from a dead chick whose husband kicked her skanky ass out." Liza poked the necklace very hard several times before Katherine's awareness faded back into white noise. "I really need to put a mute button on this thing."

She felt eyes on her and spun around. She smiled when she saw Zedd. "Hey!" She said too eagerly. Stop throwing yourself at him, she scolded herself. You're better than that.

"Liza." He said the word tonelessly with a brief nod of acknowledgment. He looked like he was about to flee.

"Nice weather we're having, right?" Oh my God, could you be any lamer? What's wrong with me? She wondered internally.

"Yes. It's lovely. Excuse me."

"Wait!"

"Yes?"

"I just... Never mind."

"Alright..." He began to walk away.

Suddenly, Liza felt weak. A flash of light nearly blinded her. You have to fight! Galaxia shouted in her head. You are in danger, Liza! Your energy is under attack. He's trying to weaken you to get to Katherine! Fight, Luv. Fight with all you have!

She tried to do as her ancestor commanded, but Liza's head was spinning. The energy drain had come out of nowhere. "Zedd..." She managed to get out before her knees gave out and she fell forward. He was probably already gone, but she had to try.

Strong arms wrapped around her and caught her as she collapsed. "Liza! Liza, can you hear me?" Zedd asked. He'd come back... Liza clung to his energy, trying to make sense of things, but the darkness coming for her was too strong.

"Zell," she whispered. "Cold... He's... He makes me cold..."

She barely registered what was happening as Zedd's lips touched her forehead. The energy began flowing into her and Liza began to feel stronger. Her body warmed up slightly as Zedd kept his lips on her forehead, kissing her there so he could help her get her energy back. She rapidly began warming up as Zedd poured pure light energy into her. When he pulled away from her slowly, she found herself staring into his eyes again.

She was still shivering. Zedd stroked her hair soothingly. When she finally stopped trembling, he helped her get back on her feet. He gave her cheek one gentle stroke before looking at the floor again.

"Are you feeling stable now?" He asked.

"Yes," Liza replied. "Thank you... Again."

"No problem... Be careful. He may try that again." Zedd still wouldn't look at her.

"Next time, I'll be ready for the bastard. He won't be able to handle all of this!" She paused. "Hell, maybe next time, I can save you."

"Save your strength, Liza. You have others who are far more worthy of your help."

She rolled her eyes. "Hush. I decide who I help."

Zedd stared at her suddenly. He looked like she'd slapped him. "I have to go," he said.

"Zedd, wait! I'm sorry... I obviously upset you. Did I do something wrong?" She was thoroughly confused.

"No, Liza... You did nothing wrong." He looked so devastated that Liza desperately wanted to undo whatever she'd done.

"Zedd..." She reached out and gently touched his cheek. Zedd flinched and stepped away from her.

"I must go," he said. He hurried off and Liza stopped trying to stop him.

ZEDD

He was trembling when Sage found him. "What's wrong?" She asked gently.

Zedd looked up at her and didn't bother trying to hide his pain. "Zell attacked Liza's energy, so I assisted her," he said.

"Zedd... What happened?"

"It's hard enough to be near her when she looks and acts exactly like Xia, but... But now, she sounds like her, too. If you slapped a British accent on her, she'd be Xia... I..." He sighed. "She said something today... She told me to 'hush,' and that she decides who she helps... Which was, down to the exact words and tone, something Xia said to me very early into our time together."

"Oh, Zedd..." Sage put a sympathetic hand on his arm.

"She is extraordinary, Sage... And she is also a painful reminder of everything I lost... She is... Confusing for me."

"I know you feel something for her, Zedd. I see it in your eyes."

"I cannot. She is not Xia. It's clearly nostalgia drawing me to her, and to give in to that would be unfair to the girl... I cannot be near her, Sage."

"Did you ever think if you spent time getting to know her that you might find your feelings are more than nostalgia for the woman you loved?"

"Love, Sage. I still love Xia. I always will."

"I know... But Zedd... Liza is pretty great. If you give her a chance, she might prove to have a place of her own in your life."

"I will protect that girl with all that I have, Sage... But I will not condemn her to my extended company. She deserves far better."

"She deserves a chance to be happy... Just like you."

"And she will never be happy with me."

"She's the only one who gets to decide that. You can't lie to a Shaman, Zedd. You have feelings for her, and while they are confusing, they go beyond her reminding you of Xia. You're drawn to her for a reason. Stop punishing yourself and let yourself be happy."

"Happiness comes in many forms. My light is restored. Most of my children are giving me a chance. I have Zordon and Caius back in my life, and even Alpha now. I am happier than I ever dreamed I could be again. I do not need anything else."

"You deserve a chance to have the life you lost. What if Liza is the Universe giving you a second chance?"

"I highly doubt the Universe would show me such kindness."

"You'd be surprised. Just don't rule it out, Zedd. Not yet."

He didn't reply. Instead, he changed the subject. "Are we heading home?"

"Actually, there's something I have to do first. I may not be home tonight. Don't worry, and please tell Koda he can stay with his team for the night. It's good for them to spend time together, and he can't come with me."

Zedd was curious what she might be doing, but he didn't ask. If Sage had wanted to tell him, she would have done it.

He tried not to dwell on his pathetic emotions. They were a mix of teen angst and genuine grief, and he had time for neither. For now, he would continue to keep as much distance from Liza as possible. He ignored the fact that the idea of staying away from her was becoming less and less appealing by the second.

SAGE

She found Justin already waiting for her. They headed to his place. Sage could feel the magic Anise had surrounded the property with. No one would find it unless they knew where it was.

They stepped inside. "Jared's asleep," Justin said. "I came home earlier and put him to bed. The house has magic on it to keep him safe if I'm out, and he's mature enough to be on his own for short periods of time... Plus, Alpha Prime acts as a babysitter in emergencies. Apparently, he's great with kids. He took care of the Chosen's kids for them when they were in battle. That said... I'm clinically paranoid, so just give me a minute to check on him."

Sage smiled at him kindly. "Of course," she said. Five minutes later, Justin came back.

"So... How do we do this?" Justin asked.

Sage was about to reply when the door burst open. The force of it knocked her back. "Sage!" Justin cried.

"I'm okay," Sage said quickly. "Get to safety!" She was about to look at the intruder when something hit her head hard and everything went black.

JUSTIN

He stared at the person before him. The Power Ranger wore a familiar uniform, but it didn't look right. Besides, if it wasn't Sage, only one other living person could be wearing it. "Tommy?" Justin asked, knowing that wasn't possible either, but this person was definitely a Green Ranger.

"Do not call me that!" He snapped. "I am Lord Drakkon, and you are coming with me."

Justin had already pressed the emergency alert button. He knew Alpha Prime was on his way. He also knew the stories of the entity called Lord Drakkon. He was an evil sociopath who existed in several parallel realities, and if Justin tried keeping him there, Sage and Jared would be in extreme danger.

He didn't want to go with Drakkon. He didn't want to know why the psycho was after him or what he had planned. He was terrified... But there were lives at stake. His son's life, and the life of the girl who was only there because she was trying to help him.

That was why, when Drakkon dragged him from the house, Justin didn't try to fight him. Drakkon quickly led him to a dark lair of some sort. "You're going to build me a weapon, Justin," Drakkon said.

"I am?" Justin asked. His mind was going a thousand miles an hour. If he said no, Drakkon might kill or torture him... But if he said yes, he might have a chance to escape.

"Yes. I am told you are quite intelligent." Drakkon attacked so suddenly, Justin didn't see it coming. He slammed Justin against the wall and stabbed him in his side several times. Justin cried out in pain and struggled to defend himself, but Drakkon was freakishly strong.

"No tricks, Justin," Drakkon said, releasing him. "That was a sample of what will come if you try to defy me."

Justin knew his wounds were somewhat shallow. He'd survive if he was treated soon enough. He struggled to keep a clear head and asked, "How did you find me?"

"Our spy followed you and the Shaman to your home."

Justin did not miss Drakkon's use of the plural. Who is he working with? Zell? He wondered. He decided to ask. "So you're with Zell, then?"

"Zell? Oh, no. Definitely not. We are made up of those he didn't invite to his little party... Our faction is far superior to his pathetic alliance." He laughed with an actual mwahaha and Justin had to hold back a sarcastic response. "We are unstoppable. We shall show him who truly rules this world... Soon, I shall rule all worlds, but for now, I shall work with these other villains. For the time being, they are of use to me."

Justin mentally filed Drakkon under the category of Bad Guys who Enjoy Braggy Monologues. That would work in his favor. Those villains tended to make mistakes because they were too arrogant to believe they could fail.

As Drakkon explained what he wanted Justin to build, Justin looked at the supplies around him. A plan began to form in his head. "Give me thirty minutes," he said.

"You have twenty-five," Drakkon said. He left the room and locked the door. Justin began working on the weapon. He was careful with every detail. If this failed, he'd be toast, but if it worked...

Drakkon came back as Justin finished his weapon. "Is it done?" He demanded.

"Yes," Justin said.

Drakkon grabbed the weapon and studied it. "Excellent," he said. Then he turned it toward Justin and pulled the trigger.

Drakkon let out a scream as the weapon misfired, sparking and setting him on fire instead. Justin pushed a button on a second device he'd programmed to work with it and watched as electricity shot through the weapon and straight into Drakkon. The villain wasn't saying mwahaha now.

"Excellent," Justin said, mocking Drakkon's earlier response as Drakkon hit the floor. Justin kicked the electricity up a notch and Drakkon twitched even more violently as it passed through him. When he finally stopped twitching, Justin saw that his eyes were open and unblinking.

He cautiously approached Drakkon before kicking him. There was no response. "That must have been one of his weaker aspects," Justin mumbled aloud. Different realms had different Drakkons, and the strongest one was rumored to be unstoppable. Thankfully, he was blocked from their reality.

Justin took several deep breaths and tried to calm down. He was badly injured, but nothing was fatal. He just needed to get home and he'd survive.

To his surprise, he was teleported back to the house. "You are bleeding!" Alpha said in alarm. Justin realized he must have been the one who teleported him.

"Is Jared okay? Where's Sage?" Justin asked.

"Jared is sleeping peacefully. I stayed with him until Sage woke up and checked on him. She is-"

"Right here," Sage said, forcing a smile. The relief in her eyes was clear. "Are you okay?"

"I will be. It was Drakkon, Sage, and he wasn't working alone," Justin said. "I didn't see his friends, though."

"How did you escape?"

"He wanted me to make him a weapon, so I did... And I intentionally miscalculated the voltage so he'd electrocute himself. He also caught on fire... He's not an issue anymore."

Sage stared at him. "I think we underestimated you, Justin. You really are brilliant," she said.

"I just like science. I'm especially good at chemistry."

"So he's dead?"

"Extremely."

"Good... We'll worry about who he was working with later. Let me heal you." Sage began to do it without waiting for a response. Justin felt better quickly. Sage, however, looked pale. She blacked out.

"Sage!" Justin cried.

"She was too injured to use so much energy," Alpha said. "The head trauma made her lose consciousness. Might I suggest Zedd?"

Justin wasn't thrilled with the idea of letting Zedd anywhere near his house, but he knew Sage needed help. "Okay. I'll go stay with Jared in his room. You can call Zedd, and just get me when he's gone."

"Yes, Justin," Alpha said. "Would you like to take your medication now?"

"No... I need to have a clear head for Sage to help me."

"She won't be doing that tonight and you need rest. Take the medicine tonight. Sage can help you tomorrow, when you are both well."

"Thanks, Alpha," Justin said, knowing he was right. He took his medicine before curling up in the chair in Jared's room and drifting off to sleep.

MERKHET

"Fool!" Merkhet cried in frustration as she looked at Drakkon's corpse. "How disappointing..."

"Mistress, what do we do now?" Virges asked.

"He was the strongest of us," Goldar said with concern.

"I beg your pardon?!" Merkhet snapped. "I am the leader of this Faction, Goldar. Do not forget that. Drakkon was merely a puppet."

The other Faction members came into the room. Merkhet wondered who her new ace in the hole would be. There was Ivan Ooze, a villain from a parallel realm who none of the Rangers here knew. Merkhet despised him, but he had old, powerful magic and she could not deny that much. Psycho Red was a personal favorite of hers because he could target any Red Ranger and was nearly unstoppable. Trakeena was the only other female in the Faction, so Merkhet was partial to her. Lothor was strong but not the brightest. Zeltrax had joined as soon as she mentioned a chance to seek revenge on Tommy Oliver. He had a personal vendetta against Tommy and Kira, who had destroyed him. Since Merkhet had revived him, he was extremely loyal to her. He might be her secret weapon. Emperor Gruumm was furious Mora had been taken by Zell. He was offended to not have gotten the invitation himself. Finally, there was Serrator, who she'd revived specifically to distract the Samurai Rangers.

Merkhet didn't trust Zell, but she needed him. After agreeing to work with him, she'd known she would need an army of her own. Assembling them had taken work, but she was pretty satisfied. It was a shame Drakkon hadn't lasted longer, but she could only get to a weaker aspect of him. The others were busy taking over other realms.

"What is our next step, Merkhet?" Zeltrax asked.

"Plan B... Justin is too dangerous, but I know of another who may be able to help us..." Merkhet paused. Perhaps the little brat had a purpose after all. It was time to find out.

DOCTOR K

She had spent twenty-six straight hours in the lab. It was time to get some rest, but first, she needed some air. K had made more of an effort to at least try to go outside since Venjix had been destroyed, but now that it was back and in a new realm, she had been reluctant to go anywhere outside of the hotel.

"You can do this, K," she told herself. She hesitated. "Maybe I should call Ziggy... Or Dillon or Summer or anyone..." She shook her head. She was being paranoid again. She was right outside of a hotel full of Power Rangers. There was no safer place on the planet.

K stepped outside. She looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. "See? You were clearly overreacting," she told herself.

That was when the tranquilizer dart pierced her skin. Before she could even attempt to scream for help, K collapsed.

THE NEXT DAY.

BILLY

He'd been a nervous wreck all morning. The previous night, he'd told Kimberly the truth about Doctor K. She'd been extremely supportive as he had a nervous breakdown. She'd also convinced him to tell K the truth. She'd gently pointed out that it was better she hear it now from Billy then hear it from Merkhet at a moment when the shock could get K killed. Billy had agreed to do it, but now he was terrified. How was he supposed to tell this near-stranger that she was actually his daughter with a sociopathic demigoddess bent on conquering the world? Then again, K mentored a team of Power Rangers. This might not even phase her.

When Billy arrived at the hotel, he went straight to the lab. Gem and Gemma burst in right behind him.

"She's nowhere-" Gemma began.

"To be-" Gem added.

"Found! We think-"

"Someone-"

"Must have-"

"Taken her!" Billy had a terrible feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Guys, slow down," Flynn said, joining Billy and the twins. "What's going on?"

"We checked-" Gemma began.

"Her room and-" Gem chimed in.

"The kitchen-"

"And the common-"

"Areas, and now-"

"Here, but she's-"

"Nowhere!"

"Gone!"

"Vanished!"

"Poof!" The twins said in unison, complete with hand gestures.

"Guys... Who's missing?" Flynn asked urgently.

"Doctor K!" They said together.

"We found this-" Gem said, holding up Doctor K's bag.

"Outside of the-" Gemma said.

"Hotel! And her-"

"Phone is-"

"Right here!" Gem pulled it out.

"K never goes-"

"Outside the-"

"Hotel so-"

"Someone-"

"Must have-"

"Taken her!"

Billy tried to focus as panic threatened to overwhelm him. "Was there anything else?" He asked.

"Just-" Gem said.

"This," Gemma finished. She pulled out something that made Billy's entire body turn cold.

Billy reached for the object he knew all too well. "Oh no..." He whispered.

"What is it?" Flynn asked.

"This is one of Merkhet's spell bags... She uses them to protect herself and to strengthen certain very dangerous spells of hers. She must have dropped it..." He sighed, his worst fears confirmed. "Merkhet has Doctor K."

"So we'll-" Gemma began.

"Build a new device and-" Gemma added.

"Guys! We cannot just blow up Merkhet," Flynn said, already knowing where their minds were headed.

"But she took-" Gemma objected.

"K, and we-" Gem added.

"Have to-"

"Stop her!"

"But she still has Doctor K, and blowing her up risks blowing up Doctor K, too," Flynn reminded them.

"So-" Gem began.

"No boom?" Gemma added.

"No boom," Flynn confirmed.

"But after we-" Gemma began.

"Get her back-" Gem added.

"Then boom?" Gemma finished.

"Maybe," Flynn said with a laugh.

"Boom!" The twins gleefully cried in unison.

Billy was too busy trembling to find this as amusing as Flynn clearly did. Merkhet had K... He hadn't even told her who she was yet, and now her lunatic of a mother had kidnapped her. K was brilliant, but magic was new territory for her. She didn't stand a chance against Merkhet, and Billy knew all too well what the demigoddess was capable of.

KIRA

She was touching base with Lieutenant Stone when someone cried out, "It's aliens!"

Kira raised an eyebrow at that. She spun around and saw an extremely elderly, quite possibly senile man waving his arms around urgently. "Ugh! Not him..." Lieutenant Stone said with a groan.

"You know him?" Kira asked.

"Kira, meet Professor Phenomenus. Professor, this is Kira Ford," the Lieutenant replied.

"Lovely. Tell me, Girl... Do you know why so many aliens have gathered around here?" Professor Phenomenus asked.

"Lieutenant Stone, what's this guy's deal?" Kira asked.

"He's a... Friend, I guess... Of Bulkmeier and Skullovitch," he replied.

"Ah. That explains it."

"Aliens! There are two aliens with that little girl!" The Professor screamed. He was pointing behind her. This was Angel Grove, so Kira gave him the benefit of the doubt and spun around. Orion and Trip stood nearby with Emma between them.

"Well... He's not wrong," Kira admitted. Neither of the boys were from Earth.

"Little Girl, kindly duck down so I can shoot these aliens!" The Professor said to Emma.

"What?" Emma asked in confusion.

Professor Phenomenus pulled out a weapon that vaguely resembled a gun of some sort. "Okay... No," Kira said. "Put the blaster away, Professor. They're friends."

"But... They're aliens!" He objected.

"Give me that!" Lieutenant Stone grabbed the gun. It fired off a shot near his feet and put a hole in the ground. Emma let out a squeak of shock. Orion automatically jumped in front of her protectively. Trip stared at the hole in confusion.

"Holy shit!" Kira cried in surprise.

"I am definitely confiscating this," Lieutenant Stone said firmly.

"That's fine... It's not good enough anyway," the Professor said with a shrug. "I can do better."

"Professor Phenomenus?" Bulk asked as he, Skull, and Spike came toward them.

"Bulk! I am so glad you're not in jail!" He patted him on his back. "And Skull... You brought the alien clone."

"What are you doing here, Professor?" Skull asked, not bothering to correct him.

"Earth is under attack! There are more aliens gathering than I have ever seen! I came to help. Let's start by taking down those two over there! If your clone helps, I will not kill him."

"Wait, do you mean the guy with the green hair and the one in silver? That's Trip and Orion, Professor," Bulk said patiently.

"They are aliens! We must protect the Little Girl!"

"I'm actually eighteen," Emma said. "And Orion's my boyfriend. I'm not in danger, Sir."

"Eighteen? Ha! Perhaps to the untrained eye! But you can't fool me, Little Girl!"

"Emma." She gave him her warmest smile, clearly trying to pacify the situation.

"Okay, Little Emma. I am Professor Phenomenus. Nice to meet you! Now, let me save you."

"That's very kind of you, Professor, but I'm fine."

"Orion and Trip are on our side, Professor," Bulk said. "They're Power Rangers. You know, like Andros? He isn't from here either, but he's an ally."

"Ah... Ah, yes... Andros. Very well! If we are all friends here, I do not need to kill you! Who wants dinner? I'm starving."

"It's only two in the afternoon-" Skull began.

"Shut up, Skull," Bulk snapped at him. "The Professor is hungry. Let's eat."

"Okay... Say, maybe he can help! He's an alien expert, Kira," Skull said excitedly. "And he builds weapons. He's a genius!"

"He just tried to kill us," Orion pointed out.

"He means well," Skull insisted.

"No way, Skullovitch. He's dangerous," the Lieutenant objected.

"Please? If we don't let him help, he'll do it on his own... And that could get him killed. Do you want that on your conscience?" Skull pouted. Spike followed suit.

"Ugh! Fine," Kira said in frustration. She had to admit, the guy was clearly good with tech. "The Nutty Professor can join the Genius League. That should keep him busy."

"Yay! Do you hear that, Professor? You're going to help us help the Power Rangers again!"

"Again?" Kira asked, curious despite herself.

"When the Space Rangers almost lost, and everyone was giving up the fight, the bad guys demanded the Rangers show themselves," Bulk said.

"So Bulky stepped forward and said he was a Power Ranger. Then I did, too," Skull said. "And so did the Professor, and soon everyone stood with us, ready to fight!"

"Dad! You and Uncle Bulk really did that?" Spike asked in awe. "That's amazing!"

"That's brave... And selfless," Kira said, genuinely impressed by this story. "You guys deserve to be here. This is your fight, too."

"We'll stop the aliens later," the Professor said. "Let's go eat. Come, Little Emma. I'll even buy you an ice cream." He patted her head. Emma could have been offended, but her face lit up at the promise of ice cream instead.

Kira struggled not to burst out laughing. Emma really was a nice girl and it was probably mean of her to find this exchange so amusing, but she did. Emma really didn't come across as an eighteen-year-old. She was still innocent in a lot of ways. As much as Kira mocked her "hugs solve everything" attitude, she wished everyone could still have that innocence in them after seeing the world of monsters.

MIKE

He'd been spending a ton of time with Katie. It seemed to help her, and Emily was busy being Jayden's teddy bear, so she didn't mind. Now, Mike sat with Katie in a park not far from the hotel.

They were talking about everything under the sun. Katie rambled about her father and Mike listened supportively. Everything was fine, and he was sure he'd calmed her down when she suddenly leaned over and kissed him.

Mike was too shocked to react, but after a minute, he broke the kiss. "Katie, what the hell?" He demanded.

"I... You're just being so sweet to me, Mike," she replied.

"Yeah, because you're my friend," Mike said firmly. "I'm dating Emily, Katie. I love Emily."

"Do you? I mean, are you sure it's love?"

"Absolutely. Katie, this can't happen. You can't kiss me. I'm your friend, and I care about you, but... But that was so not okay!"

"I'm sorry, Mike... I'm just so freaked out about my dad, and everyone hates me, but you're being so nice to me... I was out of line. It won't happen again."

"Good... I should go."

"Mike... Do you hate me now, too?"

"No. I just need some space today."

"Okay."

Mike hurried off and ran straight for Emily. "Mike!" She greeted him warmly.

"Katie kissed me!" He blurted out.

"What?" Emily looked hurt, and he hated himself more.

"I'm so sorry, Em... I pulled away as soon as the shock wore off. I didn't kiss her back... But... It just... It just happened. Please forgive me!"

Emily hugged him. "You didn't do anything wrong, Mike. You can't control what she does." Emily gave him a sweet, quick kiss on his lips. "There. Order has been restored!"

He pulled her closer. "I love you," he told her.

Emily turned pink. She didn't reply. She hadn't said it back to him yet, but their relationship was still fairly new. He understood she didn't want to rush into things.

"Are we okay?" He asked.

"We are totally okay," Emily promised.

Mike relaxed slightly. He wasn't sure what would happen next, but he knew he'd need to be more careful around Katie for a while.

DOCTOR K

She woke up feeling confused. It took K a minute to figure out where she was. The woman standing before her smiled coldly. "Well... Look who woke up," she said.

"Whatever this is about, you are going to fail," K promised her. "The statistics overwhelmingly support that fact."

"Do you know who I am, Doctor?"

"Merkhet, I presume."

"Very good. And do you know why I have brought you here?"

"I have no idea."

"You were raised in a think tank on Corinth. Do you recall anything prior to that?"

"No."

"I left you there, Doctor K. I am your mother."

K wanted to deny it was possible. Unfortunately, she knew it wasn't. She had to admit, she shared a few physical features with Merkhet, including her pale skin and very dark hair. The shape of her face was similar, too, but their eyes were very different.

"Continue," K said, needing to hear her out.

Merkhet smiled. "I aged you to five to see what magical talents you might possess. Imagine my displeasure at discovering you didn't have a shred of magic in you! You took after your father, making you quite useless to me. I could have killed you, but I sent you away instead... In case I ever needed you for something else. Your father was told you were dead. I left you in the past in a realm he could never search, and that was that."

"Who is my father?" K demanded. She believed Merkhet. She could feel the truth in her words. Suddenly, she had to know the rest.

Merkhet studied her. "Is it not obvious, K? Your father is Billy."

K's jaw dropped. At the same time, an entire shelf of glass jars shattered, spilling their deadly-looking contents to the floor.

Merkhet reacted quickly, pulling K to safety and, K was certain, saving her life. Merkhet stared at the mess and said, "Hmmm... Interesting. Perhaps I was too quick to dismiss you."

"What you're saying is impossible!" K objected, but of course, it wasn't. Billy had been held hostage by this monster for three years. His mind had been tampered with so severely that he'd nearly killed everyone he cared for upon returning home... What she was claiming could absolutely be the truth.

"Do it again," Merkhet said.

"What?" K asked.

"Make something shatter."

"You're insane. That wasn't me."

"Oh? Do you have a better explanation?"

She didn't. "Give me a minute and I'll think of ten," K promised.

"You have Billy's mind, K... But you may just have my magic after all."

"I don't have magic. I am a scientist."

"We shall see..."

With that, Merkhet began to attack her. K was stunned by the sudden outburst. She'd been beaten before. Most of the abuse she'd suffered growing up had been psychological, but occasionally, it was worse than that, if she resisted too much.

It was after Merkhet tore off the necklace K wore that several lights blew. The bulbs shattered. Merkhet smiled. "Excellent," she said.

"Give that back!" K shouted.

"You may have it back when you tell me who gave it to you."

K refused to reply. "You love this boy... Tell me his name," Merkhet demanded.

"Never," K said firmly.

"Very well. I shall simply use this to summon him."

"What? No!"

Merkhet ignored her. Moments later, Ziggy appeared. His eyes went wide at the sight of K. "Oh my God... K, are you alright?" He asked. He tried to run to her.

Merkhet grabbed him by the throat. She lifted him off the ground and tossed him across the room. "Ziggy!" K screamed.

"He'll make a lovely sacrifice to Chaos, don't you agree?" Merkhet asked.

"Don't touch him!" K shouted.

"Work with me, K."

"I will never work with you!"

"Then say goodbye to your precious Ziggy." Merkhet raised a ritual knife.

"Wait!" K screamed. Merkhet paused. "Wait," K said again. "What is it you want me to do?"

"Learn something." Merkhet attacked Ziggy with brutal force. K screamed as Ziggy bled from his injuries. He struggled to defend himself, but he clearly had a head injury and he wasn't doing well.

With every hit Merkhet landed on Ziggy, K counted another possible injury his body had sustained. The more upset she got, the more things moved or exploded. K realized Merkhet was right. She was causing this.

Somehow, I am emitting an electrical impulse at a high enough frequency that it is affecting the matter around me, she realized. If I can find a way to focus that energy and harness it, I can control the effect I have... I can turn this around.

K focused on the feelings stirring inside of her. While her own physical pain was an issue, Ziggy's pain caused her to effect matter. Losing the necklace had triggered a response. The shock of learning who her father was had triggered a response... The electricity responded to her emotions. That was the key...

After three attempts, K was able to move an object intentionally. Pleased with her own success, she focused on Merkhet. She flung her across the room with more force than Merkhet had used on Ziggy. Then, K flung several objects at her head until she actually managed to knock her out.

"Ziggy!" K called as she ran to his side. Kneeling beside him, she realized he was as badly injured as she'd feared.

"K..." He moaned. He reached toward her, the necklace he'd given her in his hand. K took her necklace back, then took his hand in her own and squeezed it. They had to escape, but how? Ziggy was barely conscious.

"I'm going to get us out of this, Ziggy... I promise."

"I believe you," he said.

K dragged Ziggy to a corner on the opposite side of the room. She waited there beside him until someone else came into the room. "Merkhet?" The woman asked in alarm. She rushed to her side as K and Ziggy hid in the shadows.

"Trakeena, what's going on?" A man demanded.

"I don't know! I found her like this, Gruumm. What should we do?" She replied.

"Where is the scientist?" Gruumm demanded.

"Right here," K said before grabbing a weapon she'd made for Ziggy herself and using its taser function to attack Trakeena first.

Trakeena screamed as too much electricity shot straight through her, stopping her heart. "You killed her!" Gruumm shouted.

"That was unexpected," K said. "Fascinating. I apparently amplified the amount of electricity released somehow... I'll need to make a note of that." She shrugged before turning toward Gruumm.

Gruumm managed to get the weapon away from her. He hit her and Ziggy tried to rush to her defense. He collapsed before he could throw more than one punch. K blocked Ziggy with her body, desperately trying to think of a new idea.

The next thing K knew, an army of scorpions entered the room. As Gruumm hit her again, he drew blood. K stumbled back, still trying to shield Ziggy. She fell on top of him. She shifted so she was sitting in front of him.

The scorpions surrounded them. K was positive she and Ziggy were about to die. The blood dripping from her lip landed on one that was beside her. That was when something shocking happened. The scorpion rubbed itself against her arm, almost affectionately like a cat would. It repeated the behavior twice. The other scorpions seemed to be looking at her, as if they were waiting for something...

Merkhet is the daughter of a scorpion Goddess, K remembered.

"They respond to my DNA," she realized aloud. Ziggy moaned in response. "We're going to make it out of here, Ziggy... But you have to stay with me." She stroked his hair affectionately.

"Now, you die, Scientist!" Gruumm shouted. He came toward her again.

"Protect us," K whispered, looking at the scorpions. "Please protect us. Stop him."

Just like that, the scorpions turned toward Gruumm. Before he saw it coming, they attacked. He was stung, over and over again. He screamed at first, but their venom spread quickly, and even monsters were not completely immune to that.

When it was clear he was not going to immediately wake back up, K called the scorpions off. She knew she couldn't kill him. Emperor Gruumm was from the future. Killing him would have consequences she didn't care to risk, but being the daughter of a scorpion Goddess, Merkhet would be able to save him when she woke up. K grabbed Ziggy. "Wake up, Ziggy... I need you with me." she said.

Ziggy managed to open his eyes again. "K?" He asked.

"Ziggy, I need you to morph. I can get you outside, but I don't know how many other villains are around. If we get attacked, I know I can defend us, but I want you to have the extra protection, just in case. Once we're outside, I can have Gem and Gemma teleport us... We have a machine that should be fully functional."

Ziggy was struggling, but he managed to morph. Even morphed, he was still too injured to do much on his own, so K practically carried him out of the room as Merkhet started to stir. K was relieved she didn't immediately chase after them. She was probably still too wounded, or finding one of her minions dead and another severely wounded had distracted her.

"Gem! Gemma!" K called through the communicator.

"K! You're-" Gemma began.

"Not dead!" Gem finished. "What-"

"Great news!"

"Gem. Gemma. I have Ziggy. He's hurt badly. I need you to teleport us back."

She felt it working just as Ziggy's morph failed. The next thing she knew, they were back at the lab.

"Ziggy... Jesus..." Flynn mumbled. Louder, he called, "I need a Medic!"

Tanya came over. Since she was an actual nurse, Tanya was one of their best people in a medical emergency. "My God..." She whispered. She looked at Flynn. "I'll start, but go get a healer... The strongest one you can find. Sage or David... Maybe Liza."

"I'm on it," Flynn promised.

"K... You're bleeding," Tanya said urgently.

"I'm fine. Help Ziggy," K insisted.

"You need help, too," Tanya said gently. "Ziggy will be okay... I promise. You need to let someone stitch you up."

"It can wait." K didn't want to leave Ziggy's side.

"Please, Doctor K... You may be seriously injured."

"Ziggy needs me!"

"K," a new voice said.

K turned around to see Billy. Everything stopped for a split second as she realized she was looking at her father.

Billy gently touched her cheek, wiping something away. K realized she was crying. Judging from her wet blouse, she'd been crying for at least a couple of minutes.

"K, you've been through a severe trauma. Your body is in shock," Billy said gently. "You may be hurt worse than you realize. Let me take care of you."

K nodded numbly. Billy gently led her to a more secluded part of the lab. He began cleaning her face up, careful not to cause her any more pain than necessary. "Billy... There's something I need to tell you," she said. "Merkhet didn't kill your daughter. She's-"

"She's you," Billy said softly.

"You knew?" K asked in shock.

"No. I figured it out right before you went missing. I was going to tell you."

"How did you know?"

"Your eyes... I would know them anywhere, K."

She paused. "Billy... Did I ever have a name other than K?"

He nodded. "Yes. Merkhet made me name you. Would you... Would you like to know what your name is?"

"Very much," K said. Billy had named her, not Merkhet. She could live with that.

"It's Kristina."

"Kristina..." K repeated. It felt odd to say, but she supposed it was a much nicer name than K. She'd wanted to remember her name for so many years... She smiled at him awkwardly. "Thank you for that."

Billy stitched up her lip and a cut above her eye. His touch was so gentle, K felt immediately relaxed. This man might be a near-stranger to her, but she was willing to try to get to know him. There was something soothing about Billy. She looked into his eyes.

"Billy," She began. She paused, then tried again. "Billy, I would... Um... I would very much like to know you... If you... I mean... I know you couldn't have wanted me. My mother is a vile woman who was torturing you... I understand I may just be a constant reminder of that, and I would also understand if you never want to see me again, but-"

He cut her off by pulling her into his arms. The hug was so unexpected, K could hardly process it... Yet it was deeply comforting, like a piece of her she had been searching for had finally been restored.

"You're my daughter, Kristina," Billy said. "I delivered you...I fell in love with you the second I looked into your eyes... The circumstances surrounding your conception were horrible, but I was devastated when she told me you were dead. Realizing you were alive and had become this amazing young woman... I am so relieved you're okay... I'm sorry I couldn't be there before, but I would be honored to get to know you now."

K hadn't expected that to mean so much to her. She was saved from expressing it as Ziggy came toward her. He looked shaky, but he had been almost fully healed.

"Thank God you're okay!" He said as he pulled K into his arms. She let him, needing to hear his heart beating steadily. She clung to him and allowed herself to be vulnerable. It was rare K let her walls down, but currently, she couldn't put them back up. Hiding her face in Ziggy's shoulder ensured no one would know how much she was freaking out other than him, and she knew he'd never tell.

TOMMY

He woke up for brief periods of time, but they always sedated him again fairly quickly. Tommy had no idea how long he'd been there. He was strapped down and hooked up to an IV that he assumed was keeping his body from dehydrating too much or starving to death. Whatever they were up to, they weren't trying to kill him... Yet.

He looked around for clues and saw Divatox. "Tommy! So nice to see you again," she said pleasantly. She was fiddling with some tools along with King Mondo. Tommy wondered if he was hallucinating. How had all of these villains come together? What were they after?

"How long do I get to enjoy the pleasure of your company?" Tommy asked sarcastically. His voice was hoarse.

"We're almost done building our machine, Tommy. It's going to be quite impressive! But no spoilers... Elgar! Put him down for another nap."

Ten seconds later, Tommy blacked out. In his head, he saw his brother. "Where are you, Tommy?" David asked urgently.

"I don't know... I'm drugged," Tommy said.

"We'll find you, Bro... I promise. We're all looking... Kira called in everyone. You just have to hold on for a little bit longer..."

"I don't think I have long."

"Don't give up."

"I never do."

David hugged him. "Stay strong, Tommy... I love you."

It was rare that David said things like that to him. The words gave him strength. "I love you, too, David," he said.

After that, the drugs made his mind too heavy and he faded into the darkness that was becoming far too familiar.

MADDIE

She was walking from Ranger training to Chosen training on her own when someone appeared in front of her. "Hello, Crimson," Zell said pleasantly.

Maddie stiffened. She could morph, but would that really do anything against Zell? She wasn't sure. She was too far from anyone else to get their attention, but she could try to use her communicator to call for backup. The Rangers might not be able to handle Zell, but maybe Zordon could send Zedd and Caius to help?

"I wish to make you an offer, my dear Crimson Chosen," Zell said.

She knew she was in trouble now. The last time Zell had made someone an "offer," Caleb's parents had ended up dead and Caleb had nearly joined them.

"What do you want, Zell?" Maddie asked, desperately trying to think of a plan. She pressed the button on her communicator and felt it spark in response. She let out a cry of shock as it mildly electrocuted her. She knew it wouldn't be functional anytime soon.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my dear. My son isn't invited to this conversation. This is just between us," Zell said.

"What is this about?" She asked, left with no choice but to play his game.

"I want you to work with me, Maddie."

"So, you've learned my name finally. That's a nice change of pace."

"You have a great gift, my dear. You're stronger than any one person has ever been in this world."

"You're wrong about that."

"Perhaps currently, but once all of those powers activate inside of you, you will become unstoppable, my dear."

"I don't want to be unstoppable. If that's your offer, no thanks."

"My offer is this, Maddie... You can fight at my side, and we can become the ultimate power in the universe together, or... I can take your power from you."

Maddie stared at him. She knew Zell could drain people's energy, but could he really take away their powers?

"I can indeed, Maddie," he said.

She felt extremely violated and extremely stupid as she realized he'd read her mind. Then again, although Sage had taught her decent blocks for her thoughts, almost no one could block Zell and Maddie knew that. Still, she started working harder to guard her thoughts from him.

"You were never meant to happen, Maddie. There was never a Crimson Chosen, and there was a reason for that. There were only ever meant to be the seven... Even I never saw you coming," Zell said.

"Well, I exist, so here we are," Maddie said sharply. She could feel the truth in his words. She'd been suspecting it herself for a while. Maddie didn't fit in with the Chosen. They were her friends, and she fought well with them, but she was a Power Ranger, not Chosen. They knew that as well as she did.

"You are merely a placeholder, Maddie. You were created to hold the power until it could be given to those it belonged to. I assume the Universe intended to kill you and give it to the actual Chosen in their hour of need to give them the extra power they required, or perhaps the Universe would have simply allowed you to transfer it willingly and walk away. I would never use you like that, Maddie. I would allow you to fight at my side, where someone as extraordinary as you belongs."

"No," Maddie said firmly. "I'll never stand with you, Zell. That's not happening." Again, she felt the truth in his words. This had probably been the case all along, and it made sense. She could feel in her heart that he was right about why she'd had so many powers in her blood, even if she hadn't activated all of them.

"Then I will simply take them from you." He laughed. "Of course, if they aren't active, the powers are useless to me. Now, I can activate most of them. They're generally magic-based with no real requirements to wake them up... However, there is one power that can only be activated in one way... The Grant family line holds the power I need the most... The one which will make me unstoppable... And it can only be awakened upon death. I, of course, cannot die... But you, my dear, can."

Suddenly, Maddie understood exactly what he intended to do. Zell would kill her to get the powers, and she couldn't allow him to do that. Maddie was more than willing to die to protect the Chosen and their magic, but she sure as hell wasn't going to die just so Zell could steal the powers anyway.

If I die, I die fighting, she vowed. And no matter what, I don't die where he can find me.

She attacked him with the few powers she did have access to, like the one she shared with Quintus and Brian. She'd gotten really good at using fire in battle. When that wasn't enough, she relied on what she knew best... She fought physically, employing every bit of Martial Arts training she'd ever had. It worked for a few minutes, until Zell tired of playing with her and stabbed a sword straight through her heart.

Maddie knew she was going to die. She barely had any strength left, but she knew she couldn't let Zell take the powers from her. Clutching her chest, she whispered, "Help me, Ancestors..." She prayed the original Chosen were listening.

As Zell came closer to her, Maddie dove into the Shadow Realm. She could feel the spirits of the original Chosen with her. "Take them," she whispered. "Take the powers... Give them to the others..."

"We cannot, Maddie," Morgana said softly.

"You have fought bravely," Dimitri added. "With great honor."

"I'm dying. If he finds me... He will get the powers. He can't get the powers... I have to protect the others... Zell can't win," Maddie objected.

"He will not," Quintus promised. "You did well, Maddie. Zell looks quite lovely with his shirt on fire, by the way." He smiled at her, and Maddie managed to offer a small smile in return.

"Rest now, sweetheart," Raven added. He began singing softly, and as his light washed over Maddie, it soothed her deeply. She could barely feel any pain now.

"Xia? Where are you going?" She heard Quintus ask.

"To save her life!" Galaxia shouted from somewhere distant.

Maddie focused on Raven's light, too exhausted to do anything else, as her ancestors surrounded her.

LIZA

The sudden appearance of Galaxia beside her made Liza jump. "Jesus! Don't do that," she objected.

"Maddie's dying!" Galaxia blurted out.

Liza stared at her. "What? Where is she?"

"Zell shoved a sword through her heart. She's bleeding to death. He tried to take the powers from her, but she protected them, and she fled before he could activate the Grant line in her."

"Xia, where is she?" Liza asked more urgently. There was no way she was letting Maddie die.

"Follow me! You must take the powers from her, Liza. Extract them, one at a time, and store them for the proper Chosen."

Liza followed Galaxia to a very secluded area. "She is in the Shadow Realm, Liza," she explained. "You cannot shadow walk, but you can open a portal to get inside."

Liza was already working on that. Galaxia followed her in, but faded from sight. Liza could feel the other original Chosen in the room as well, but she couldn't see any of them. She could, however, see Maddie, lying on the ground in a pool of blood.

"Maddie! Shit... Shit. Maddie, it's Liza. You're going to be okay," she promised, even if she couldn't guarantee that. The girl hadn't bled out yet, purely because the sword was still in her chest, but she was headed that way rapidly.

"Liza... Take the powers... Save them..." Maddie begged her. "Zell can't... He can't get them..." She slipped something into Liza's hand and Liza realized it was her Power Coin. "Get this back to Zordon," Maddie whispered.

"Shhh... Don't focus on any of that. Just listen to me, alright? I'm going to do an extraction spell. I can channel the powers into charms, and I'll get the charms where they need to go."

Maddie nodded. "Tell... Tell Mom I'm sorry... And... And Zeke... Tell Zeke I... I love-"

"Shut up. You're not dying today. I won't let you, do you understand me? So quit saying your goodbyes." Liza began focusing on the line she knew the best... The Campbell line. She called the power forth, drawing it out of Maddie and into herself, because she was going to need the power boost to pull the rest of this off. She'd store it later and get it to Tia.

Maddie's breathing calmed down slightly and Liza knew she'd made the right call. With Maddie so close to death, the Campbell line had been trying to activate, and the power could have killed her because she wasn't strong enough. Liza focused on Zedd's line next. If she could activate it, however briefly, Maddie might be able to heal from this fatal wound without Liza having to do all the work. As a succubus, she could survive nearly any wound, but Maddie had never woken that power up.

She felt Galaxia join her in her effort to activate the power that had flowed through her beloved's veins, too. If anyone knew that power well, it was Galaxia. Soon, it woke up, and Maddie's breathing became steady. The bleeding began to slow down. Liza knew it was working. She'd have to extract that power last and hope it had done enough to save Maddie's life by then.

She focused on the others... She removed the Grant power easily because it was still dormant, although if Maddie got much closer to death, that wouldn't be the case. Next, she focused on Morgana's line. The magic was different from the magic of Galaxia's line, but it still made enough sense to Liza that she was able to extract it fairly easily. She pulled the fire powers of the Kwan line next, followed by Raven's light. It still flowed through Maddie, but Liza knew that was because Raven was directly filling her with it to comfort her, and once he stopped, it would be gone. Finally, Liza focused on the Scott line, which was probably the strongest part of Maddie's core. She was able to extract those powers, too, but as she did, Maddie's health took a turn and she started to seize. She was no longer bleeding, but the removal of so much of her energy was too much for her.

"Use Zedd's power!" Galaxia shouted.

Liza called on Zedd's power to replenish some of Maddie's energy before she had to extract that, too. Maddie wasn't in good shape, but as Liza pulled the sword out, she was still alive. Liza used the extra boost of Campbell magic inside of her to heal Maddie fully from her wounds.

Maddie was shaking badly, but conscious. Liza helped her stand and reopened the portal so they could leave the Shadow Realm. The charms that had been formed from the powers sat in her hand, along with Maddie's Yellow Power Coin. Liza was about to give it back when, to her shock, a Zord came running toward them.

"Is that the Saber-toothed Tiger?" She asked.

"Yes," Maddie said.

The Zord was frantic. Liza decided it was just another cat at its core and said, "Shhh, Kitty... Good Kitty... Come on, everything's okay... Maddie's fine... You're fine... Shhhh..."

The Zord, to her surprise, responded. It knelt before her and Maddie. Liza smiled and said, "That's a good kitty..."

Maddie looked at her and sighed. "Liza... Get me to Zordon. Please," she said.

Liza nodded, figuring Maddie wanted to regather her strength and recover in a safe place. Liza intended to open a portal outside of the Command Center, but she found them landing inside instead. "Hmmm..." Liza mumbled. "That's odd. I'm pretty sure I shouldn't be able to just teleport in here on my own."

"Liza." Zordon said. She turned to face him.

"Your father tried to kill Maddie, Zordon," Liza said. "She's okay, but... But I had to remove all of the Chosen's power. Which reminds me..." She pulled the extra Campbell magic out of herself and formed the seventh charm. She knew Tia would take excellent care of it.

"Zordon... I'm sorry," Maddie said softly.

"You have no reason to apologize, Maddie," Zordon promised her. "I assume you already know what has happened."

"I do. I didn't mean for it to happen, but... It feels right."

Zordon nodded. Liza was confused. "What's going on?" She asked.

"Liza, years ago, when your mother and Maddie's mother were children, Aisha chose to switch destinies with Tanya. With none of the other Chosen lines in the Power Rangers after Jason, Zack, and Trini left us, I sought out someone else... Aisha was a Campbell, and I could think of no one better to fill that void. It was always meant to be a Campbell, but Aisha had another path, too, and when she chose to follow that one, Tanya came to us. While Tanya was an amazing Power Ranger, the change was not one that was originally meant to happen. Both Tanya and Maddie have proven to be worthy Yellow Rangers... However, with Maddie choosing to save the powers of the Chosen over saving herself, her body and spirit took a very strong hit. I'm afraid that Maddie can no longer hold the power of the Yellow Power Coin."

"What? No. No, there has to be a way," Liza said.

"Liza... It's okay," Maddie said softly. "I did my time, and I'm proud to have been the Yellow Ranger, but I'm meant to move on to a different role... I can still help, but I can't be an active Power Ranger anymore."

"But... The battle, Maddie! Your team needs you!"

"And I'll be there. I can fight physically, and you healed me enough that a good night's sleep should have me back to normal. I've always been able to fight. Magic or not, I'm a Scott, and I've had a ton of training. That's where I'm most comfortable, and it's where I'm meant to be... But I'm not meant to be the Yellow Ranger anymore."

"Then who is?"

"You."

Liza stared at her. "Me?" She laughed. "Me, a Power Ranger? Yeah, right! That's insane. I didn't grow up here. You guys are all legacies."

"So are you, Liza," Zordon pointed out. "You are Aisha's daughter, and like Aisha, you moved here from another place. You were meant to be here, Liza. You were always meant to become a Power Ranger."

She wanted to keep protesting, but she could feel it in her heart. She might not have officially been given the powers yet, but Liza was already a Power Ranger on the inside. The Zord had responded to her because it was meant to be hers.

"But... But Maddie..." Liza looked at her, feeling guilty. When she'd saved her life, she had never intended for this to be the outcome.

"It's okay," Maddie promised her. "This is the way it's supposed to be."

Liza frowned. "The team will hate it," she argued. "They barely know me, except for Sage and Thorn."

"They'll accept you, Liza. They'll understand," Zordon promised. "If you accept this destiny, it will set things back on track. You will only make them stronger... The choice is yours, of course. If you do not accept, there are others from your family... Tye, perhaps, if she ever heals from her trauma... Or, in a few years, I can pass it along to Tessa or Imani."

"No," Liza said firmly. "Tye just wants to be left in peace. She's finally starting to try to talk to people. I won't let you do that to her... And the little ones... They're too young."

"I agree. I would not give them the power until they were older. I have learned from that mistake." Liza knew he was referencing Justin.

"But then the team would have a hole in it until you made one of them a Ranger... They'd be weaker."

"They would learn to adjust. I could allow Sage to hold the power of the Saber-toothed Tiger for Zord purposes. No one else would be able to do that."

Liza sighed. She could practically feel Galaxia screaming at her to stop stalling and just embrace it. "I won't leave the Rangers in that situation," she said. "I'll do it." She smiled as she added, "Besides, I do look great in yellow."

Zordon smiled, and so did Maddie. She looked sad, but very at peace with this decision. She squeezed Liza's hand encouragingly as Zordon teleported the rest of the Power Rangers into the Command Center.

"Rangers, something has happened," Zordon explained. "Maddie was attacked by Zell."

"What? Are you okay?" Zeke asked, running to her side.

"I'm okay," Maddie promised him.

"What's going on?" Thorn asked, apparently sensing the seriousness of the situation.

"Liza had to extract all of the Chosen powers from Maddie to save both her life and the powers from falling into my father's clutches," Zordon explained. "In the process, I'm afraid that Maddie suffered some major changes to her energy... She can no longer hold the Yellow Power Coin."

"What?!" Zeke demanded.

"But... But what will we do now?" Kenny asked.

"Liza," Sage said. It was obvious that, somehow, she'd already known this was going to happen.

"Liza? No way," Katie objected. "She's a stranger! She doesn't deserve to be one of us!"

"Um... I'm standing right here," Liza said. "Just saying."

"You aren't the leader anymore," Sage reminded Katie coldly. "And Zordon is the one who chooses the Rangers, not us. Liza is Aisha's daughter. She's a Legacy, too. She deserves to be here as much as any of us."

"Agreed," Thorn said firmly.

Kenny looked sad as he said, "Maddie... Are you okay with this?"

Maddie nodded. "It's the right path," she said.

"But... We need you," Zeke said. "I need you."

"I'll still be here, Zeke. I'll still fight. I just can't morph anymore, but you guys are my family. That's never going to change," Maddie promised him.

He hugged her, then to Liza's surprise, he turned toward her. "Welcome to the insanity, I guess."

"Thanks," Liza said.

"Josh? Are you okay?" Maddie asked gently.

Josh looked heartbroken. "Everything's going to change," he whispered.

"Everything's headed exactly where it was meant to all along," Maddie promised. She walked over to him, but didn't touch him. "I'm okay, Josh... And you guys will be, too. Liza saved my life. She's a badass. She'll be great at this."

Josh nodded numbly, then moved closer to Maddie. She read this as an invitation to hug him, and she did. Josh hugged her back, calming down a bit.

"Rangers, if you are all ready... I would like to make this official," Zordon said.

"We're ready," Sage promised. "Are you, Liza?"

Liza shrugged. "I'm always ready. Let's do this," she said.

"Step forward, Liza," Zordon said. She did. "Wait," she said. She took off the necklace Katherine was trapped in and handed it to Sage. "Just until after this is done," she said.

"Good call," Sage agreed.

Liza handed the necklaces containing the power of the Chosen lines to Zordon, knowing he was the only other person who should have possession of them until they were given to the current Chosen. Finally, she stepped forward, still holding Maddie's... No... Her Power Coin.

As Zordon spoke, the energy hit Liza and she knew this was, in fact, the right path. She welcomed her new power. It was a strange sensation. Liza had certainly had powers before, but she'd never felt like she was part of anything. Now, she could feel the entire team as though it was part of her very soul. It was slightly overwhelming, but she liked it.

"Welcome to the Power Rangers, Liza," Sage said warmly.

"We're happy to have you," Kenny added.

"I'm sorry about what I said," Katie said softly. "That was bitchy."

Liza laughed. "Yeah, it was, but I'm bitchy sometimes, too. Most of the time, actually. Don't worry, I don't scare or offend easily."

"I know you'll kick ass at this," Maddie said. She hugged her. "Thank you so much for saving me."

"Thank you for being brave enough to give up everything just to keep the powers safe. Most people would have been tempted to use all that power for themselves."

"I'm not most people." Maddie took a deep breath. "I'll see you at home later, okay?"

"Okay," Liza agreed.

"I'm coming with you," Zeke said. "There are monsters out there, and you can't morph anymore."

"It's okay, Zeke. I'll still kick their asses and protect you," Maddie teased him.

"I'll meet up with you guys later," Zeke promised after he kissed Maddie. They left.

Liza turned to face the rest of the team. "Are we good?" She asked.

"We're good," Sage confirmed.

"Good luck, Liza," Zordon said. "I know you'll do well. May the Power protect you!"

"Come on," Kenny said, looping his arm through hers. "Let's get some dinner and celebrate our newest team member."


	29. Chapter Twenty-Nine

DORA

She had seen enough. Dora had been living with Zell, Deker, Mora, and her father, Ares, for over a week now and she knew they were all bad guys. Mora might be younger than her, but they were using the kid to create monsters, and Dora could feel the evil at her very core. Zell was absolutely terrifying, which was only enhanced by how kind and soft-spoken he appeared to be. Dora had never felt something quite as pure evil as he was.

Her father wasn't so bad. Although clearly a fierce warrior for evil, Ares Grant had a purity in his heart that seemed to stir around his daughter. Dora realized he was very nearly normal around her, and she spent as much time with him as Zell allowed. That wasn't much, unfortunately. Dora knew she was being used as a tool to keep her father under control and she was sick of it.

"Deki-kins," Mora called, snapping Dora back to the present. "I want to play!"

"Play with Dora," Deker snapped. "And I told you not to call me that!"

"But Deker... I'm so lonely."

"Dora is more than capable of playing with your dolls, and your names rhyme. Have fun."

"But Zell says I can't get Dora all bloody, and this game gets people all bloody!"

Deker finally joined them. Dora watched in horror as Mora came out of the shadows covered in blood. "What the hell did you do?" He demanded.

"Abraham was naughty," she said. Abraham was the teenager Zell had bewitched into taking care of the property, cooking, and watching Mora when no one else was home. "He had to be punished."

Dora covered her mouth in horror. If Abraham had been a day over fifteen, she'd have been shocked.

"Damnit, Mora! That's the third house boy you've killed since we've been here!" Deker snapped.

"You just can't find good help these days!" The psychotic girl replied with an innocent giggle. "May I play with Dora now?"

"No, you may not! Go to your room and stay there until I say you can come out!"

Mora pouted, then picked up her doll and skipped away. Deker set to work cleaning up her mess, mumbling to himself. "This is not what I came back for..." He said.

"Deker..." Dora began. She hesitated. Deker was terrifying in his own way, but he'd shown her kindness more than once. He was more than he appeared to be, and Dora needed to trust someone. She knelt beside him and began helping him clean up, trying not to stare at the remains of poor Abraham. Her hands were trembling as she accidentally brushed her hand against some internal organ she couldn't identify.

She felt Deker gently put his hand on top of hers. "You don't have to help," he told her softly.

"Deker... I have to get out of here. Whatever Zell's up to, he's using me... And I could run, but I can't get my dad out."

"I can't help you, Dora," Deker said sadly. "I've done as much as I can."

She sighed. "Okay."

"Go get cleaned up. Once I've cleaned this up, I will go out and get us all some food since we don't have anyone to cook at the moment."

She nodded and headed back to the room they'd given her. To her horror, Zell was waiting for her inside. He blocked her from exiting. "Dora, your magic is extraordinary..." He said. "I wish for us to join forces."

He got too close too quickly and Dora realized what he meant. "If you touch me, I swear to God I'll kill you," she said.

"You can try," he said with a laugh. "We can work well together, my dear." He grabbed her and Dora knew she was in trouble.

"Dad!" She screamed. She knew it was probably pointless. Zell had control over her father... But she had to hope he'd protect her anyway.

Ares didn't come for her... But someone else grabbed her away from Zell. "Deker, you fool! What are you doing?" Zell demanded.

"I did not sign up to watch you violate a child, Zell!" Deker snapped. He stood between them protectively.

That was when Ares burst into the room. He pulled Dora into his arms. "You agreed she would be safe here," he said to Zell.

"She is perfectly safe," Zell argued. "Do not forget where you belong, Ares. In exchange for your revenge, I own you."

"Not anymore!" Dora declared. She called on her magic, which often manifested like fireworks, and attacked him. Zell let out a cry of shock and rage.

"Stop them!" He shouted at Deker.

Deker reached them quickly. He nodded subtly at Dora. Confused, she attacked. She knew as her father grabbed her hand and they fled that Deker had let them go.

"Where are we going?" Dora asked Ares.

"To the one person who will protect us," he said with a sigh. They arrived through a portal shortly after. The man who opened the door gasped in surprise.

"Ares?" He asked.

"Hello, Brother," Ares replied. "I have missed you."

CAIUS

He stared at the brother he'd grieved in shock. He may have been told recently what had become of Ares, but he hadn't expected him to show up at his front door.

He touched the scar on his brother's cheek gently. Ares put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I am well, Caius," he promised. "And it was for the best."

"How are you here, Brother?" Caius asked, finally finding his voice.

"We escaped from Zell. I refuse to work for him. He broke our contract when he tried to harm my daughter." Ares put a gentle hand on the shoulder of the teenage girl beside him. "Caius, this is Pandora... Your niece."

Caius stared at the girl in wonder. He'd never been able to meet any of his nieces or nephews, but he knew Pandora had been about two years old when Ares had supposedly died. She'd vanished after that, and now Caius understood... Zell had sent the girl into the future to hold over his brother.

"It's good to meet you, Pandora," Caius said.

"It's just Dora," she corrected him. "But nice to meet you, too."

"Caius... Is everything okay?" Caleb asked from behind him.

"Yes... Caleb, this is my brother, Ares... The one I told you about," Caius said.

Caleb looked cautious. "Is that good or bad?" He finally asked.

"Zell violated the terms of our contract," Ares said. "I refuse to work for him any longer, and having my daughter with me gives me that strength."

"Hi," Dora said awkwardly. "I'm Dora, the daughter he's talking about."

"Which makes you my cousin," Caleb said.

This was the closest Caius had heard Caleb come to openly claiming to be his son. The boy was still deeply grieving the parents who raised him, and Caius was fine with remaining simply his guardian and mentor for now, but it still warmed his heart a bit to hear Caleb claim Dora as a cousin.

"I've never had cousins," Dora admitted.

"Trust me, I get the whole weird family dynamic," Caleb said. He smiled at Dora in that casual way he had about him and, like most people, Dora automatically smiled back.

"I barely remember my mom. She was hit by a car in front of me when I was four, and that's one of my only memories of her... Watching her fly through the air."

Caius stiffened, trying hard not to think of Julia. The only woman he let in after ten thousand years had been killed by a hit and run driver and he'd nearly lost Caleb that day, too.

"That's horrible," Caleb said. "I didn't know my biological mother, but..." He sighed. "I very recently lost the parents who raised me."

"I'm sorry," Dora said. "So, did you know your father?"

"Not until recently," Caleb said.

"Same." She shrugged. "So, how long do we have before Zell and Company find us here?"

"Zell cannot access this property," Caius said. "I made certain of it. As for his alliance-"

"It's not the Alliance you need to worry about," Ares said. "He doesn't trust them. He keeps two people close... The Warrior, and the child."

"Deker won't hurt us," Dora said. "He let us escape. He could have stopped us."

"Mora might be an issue, but I agree. Deker alerted me when he realized what Zell was going to do. He is a very conflicted soul, but his morals would never allow him to leave a young girl in the clutches of someone like Zell."

"Mora cannot get here, either. I specifically guarded against anyone who is not meant to exist in this time," Caius said.

Suddenly, Caleb's eyes had a familiar look in them. "He has visions, too?" Dora blurted out.

"You have visions?" Ares asked.

"Oh, um... Yeah. Kind of."

"It is a family trait... But I have mine because I came back from the dead."

"As do Caleb and I," Caius added.

Dora shrugged. "I've always had them. Maybe the car hit me, too. I don't know," she said.

"That is possible," Caius agreed. Ares looked horrified.

Caleb came back into awareness. He was trembling. "Caleb?" Caius called gently. "What did you see?"

Caleb shook his head, still trying to clear his mind. "I have to warn Jayden," he said.

"Caleb, talk to me," Caius said urgently.

"The Samurai are in trouble. There's no time!"

Caius sighed. "Ares... Stay here with Dora. You will be safe. We have to go to the Samurai Rangers to warn them."

"It's probably Serrator," Ares said.

"Who?" Caius asked.

"Merkhet's formed her own Faction. Deker's been spying on them. Zell's fully aware that she's plotting against him. He's not concerned. Anyway, one of the Samurai team's rivals is in her group. Deker seems to know who all of the villains connect back to, but I think he actually knows Serrator. He's not happy about him being here."

"Thank you. I'll let them know. Stay. Help yourself to anything in the refrigerator."

"You had me at food," Dora said, heading straight for the kitchen. Ares followed her inside.

"Be safe, Brother," Caius said as he hugged Ares. "We have much to discuss when I return."

"Caius... We need to hurry," Caleb said. "Jayden isn't picking up his phone."

Caius nodded. "Let's go," he said. He and Caleb hurried out of the house.

MIKE

He was walking to get some food when he saw an explosion. Mike immediately called Ji. "Mentor, I'm in the park, and I think I need backup," he said.

"I will send the team, Mike. Be careful," Mentor Ji replied.

Mike raced toward the disturbance. He was surprised when someone joined him that wasn't on his team. "Holy... Is that who I think it is?" Katie asked.

Mike couldn't believe it either. "How many times do we have to kill this guy?" He demanded. He morphed. Katie followed suit.

The other Samurai arrived shortly after. "What the... Serrator?!" Antonio demanded.

"Unbelievable..." Jayden mumbled.

"Wow... This dude just doesn't die!" Antonio added.

"Let's change that," Kevin suggested.

"We took him out before. We can do it again!" Mia said.

"And this time, we'll make sure it sticks!" Emily added. The rest of the team morphed.

"I will destroy you all!" Serrator yelled as he laughed at them. He flicked Katie away from him like she was an insect. She hit a tree hard and it knocked her right out of her morph.

"Katie!" Jayden yelled. "Someone, get her out of here! This isn't her fight!"

Mike grabbed her since no one else moved to do it. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"My head hurts," Katie admitted.

"Use your communicator. Have Zordon teleport you out. I'll cover you until he does."

"I want to help. I always help you guys."

"That's admirable, Katie, but you're hurt. Go get healed. We can handle Serrator."

She probably would have protested further, but Caleb and Caius came running toward them. "We're too late," Caleb said with a sigh.

"Katie," Caius said gently. "You're bleeding." He tried to touch her head wound.

"I'm okay," Katie insisted stubbornly.

An explosion got uncomfortably close to them. "Get her out of here!" Jayden shouted again.

"Katie, you being here is only going to distract him," Caleb said gently. "Come with us."

"I can help-" Katie argued.

"Katie! I saw Jayden die today, okay?" Caleb snapped.

That stopped Katie and Mike both in their tracks. "What?" She managed to ask.

"If you stay here, he'll be so worried about you, he'll get killed."

"You're just saying that to make me go!"

"Katie, have I ever lied to you? Why the hell would I start now?"

Katie sighed. "Okay," she agreed. "Let's go." She left with Caius and Caleb, so Mike rejoined the fight.

"Mike! Look out!" Mia screamed. Mike barely escaped from a blast headed straight at him as Kevin pulled him out of the way.

"Thanks, Kev," he said.

"Anytime," Kevin replied.

Jayden was using serious fire magic to try to hold Serrator off. Serrator retaliated by swinging a tree straight at Jayden and hitting him across the park like he was a baseball.

"Jayden!" Emily screamed as he hit the ground completely unmorphed.

"You okay, Buddy?" Antonio asked. Thinking of Caleb's warning, Mike was too terrified to ask anything. What if Jayden still died?

Jayden let out a groan of pain. "Yeah," he managed to say as he struggled to sit up. "I'm okay..."

"Not for long!" Serrator promised.

Kevin threw himself in front of Jayden, absorbing a blow that would have killed someone who wasn't morphed. He hit the ground unconscious and no longer morphed.

"No!" Mia shouted as Serrator tried to kill Jayden again. She and Antonio both got in the way of the attack. Mia's morph didn't fail, but she wasn't moving. Antonio lost his morph and hit a button on his cell phone. Suddenly, a weapon Mike had never seen before sprang to life. Antonio fired off one shot, sending Serrator at least a hundred feet back.

"Kira should have put him with the geniuses," Mike mumbled. Antonio was a tech wizard.

"Mike! I have an idea!" Emily said.

He followed her lead. As Serrator regrouped, Mike and Emily drew identical Kanji symbols. Suddenly, Serrator began sparking. A strong wind knocked him down, fire surrounded him, vines held him in place, and a very large boulder appeared and dropped out of the sky, crushing him. As the elements began attacking Serrator, one after the other, he lost the last of his strength.

"I'll... Be... Back!" He vowed.

"Not this time!" Emily declared. "Rangers, Together!"

The rest of the team was up again and had their Samuraizers ready. They stood with Mike and Emily and in unison, they declared, "Samurai Forever!"

Every Ranger cast their strongest symbol, the one belonging to their own families. With a final defiant scream, Serrator exploded.

"Samurai Rangers," Jayden said with a grin, "victory is ours!"

The others laughed. "It's like we never even took a break," Mia said.

"That was amazing, Emily!" Jayden said. "You, too, Mike! I'm proud of you both for thinking on your toes."

Mike pulled Emily into his arms and kissed her, then picked her up and spun her around for a minute in celebration. Emily let out a squeal before he finally put her down. He felt on top of the world as his team enjoyed their victory.

This is how it'll end, he vowed. Mike was determined to make sure everyone on his team made it out of the big fight alive. Even considering any other possibility terrified him and he was unwilling to accept that any of them might not survive. They were Samurai. They could handle this. They'd all survive, and Jayden and Katie would work things out, and they'd get married, and one day, he'd marry Emily, with Mentor Ji sipping tea at the weddings, and they'd all live happily ever after.

That was the only possibility Mike was willing to entertain. He ignored the nagging voice in the back of his head that kept insisting things never worked out quite that well.

ZEDD

He was at Tanya's house purely to check on Tye, whose face was fully healed and whose heart was slowly getting there. She was still nervous around him, but as long as either Taylor or Sage was with him, he was allowed to see her for short visits.

He would have walked straight out, but he heard noise coming from Imani and Tessa's room. He could hear the sound of Tessa sobbing softly. "I'm afraid of the storm," she told someone.

"You don't have to be scared, Tessie," Liza said sweetly. Zedd almost fled, but he couldn't leave knowing his youngest was so frightened, so he hid in the shadows. "Everything's okay."

"Don't lie to her!" Imani said far too fiercely for a normally cheerful nine-year-old. "Winnie told me something bad's coming! And we both feel it. Aunt Tanya's gone all day while we're in school and she comes home late. You, Tia, Angie, Taylor, and Maddie are all on edge all the time, like you're hiding something you're worried about from us and Tye. We're kids, but we're not stupid, so stop treating us like we are please."

Zedd watched as Liza reacted first with shock, then amusement. "Okay" she said. "No more hiding things... Although I may need to have a chat with Winnie about what is and is not appropriate to blurt out to a nine-year-old. Yes, Mani, something's going on, and it's bad, but we're going to keep you guys safe," Liza promised.

"What is it? Is it the bad man Winnie's afraid of?"

"He's part of it... But there are others... And they kidnapped Tommy."

"Tommy's been kidnapped?!" Tessa asked.

"Yes, but don't worry. It's not the first time. He'll be okay... But to make sure of that, Kira called up pretty much every Power Ranger ever to help get him back."

"Like Aunt Tanya?" Imani asked.

"Yes. We've got a plan, but a huge part of that depends on us being focused, so we need to know you guys and Jason's kids and any other small people are kept safe. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Imani said seriously.

Thunder shook the house. Tessa began crying again. "It's the bad man," she whispered.

"He can't hurt you here," Liza promised.

"Liza... I'm scared, too," Imani admitted.

"Well, we can't have that!" Liza declared. She sat down on Tessa's bed beside her and patted the bed to invite Imani to join her. The younger girl did and Liza wrapped her arms around them both as she began, to Zedd's surprise, to sing.

"Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes... Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear... Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes... How do you measure, measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee? In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife... In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes... How do you measure a year in the life? How about love? How about love? How about love? Measure in love... Seasons of love..." She continued singing. Tessa and Imani both calmed down significantly as she sang. Zedd found himself completely enchanted, too. Liza didn't have Raven's light, but hearing her sing woke something up inside of him.

When her song was over, Liza put the girls to bed. Zedd couldn't resist following her as she headed outside. Liza set up speakers and her music player in the backyard and started another song. As she sang, she also danced. Zedd couldn't look away. He felt like he was truly seeing Liza for the first time.

"Good and evil, and their merits... Men have argued through history as well they should... My philosophy, any child can see, good is evil, and therefore, all evil is good..." The music picked up and her dance became much more elaborate as Liza sang a song about the battle between good and evil and how hard it was to choose the right side. Zedd was beyond hooked.

She kept going, singing three more songs from, judging by the different styles, three different shows. Finally, as she finished singing about how she wasn't "that girl," she noticed him.

"Holy sh- Have you been there this entire time?" She demanded. Liza actually looked embarrassed , something Zedd hadn't thought possible.

"You have a lovely voice," he said instead of answering her question.

"Thank you," Liza replied, recovering slightly.

"I especially liked that first one."

"Good and Evil? Yeah, I had a run as Lucy in a community production of Jekyll and Hyde. It's one of my favorites."

"You're really quite talented." Liza looked genuinely sad. "Have I said something?" He asked.

"No... It's just... Forget it. It's stupid."

"I doubt that."

"The school musical was last week. Before Sage brought me here to save me from my father and step-mother, I was Aida."

"I'm sorry... I do not know who Aida is."

"The lead in a musical with the same name, about a Nubian Princess in a forbidden romance who gets put to death with the guy she loves in the end. It was an incredible part, and with me gone, Amy Wilson got it and she's horrible. I went back and saw it... And it was unbearably bad."

"And this... This musical... Was important to you?"

"Extremely. I know it's stupid. I mean, we're in a literal battle against evil here. Lives are at stake... But I really wanted to do the show."

"It's not stupid, Liza... And you would have made a wonderful Nubian Princess."

She looked into his eyes. Zedd didn't look away this time. She was Liza, not Xia... And he was still insanely drawn to her.

"Theater was always my escape," Liza said softly. "It's how I coped with the abuse. I miss it."

"Are there musicals here?" Zedd asked.

"They're fully cast... But maybe next year..." She looked at him, her sadness replaced with mischief. "So, why were you stalking me?"

"I wasn't!"

"Call it whatever you want, but you were watching me, Zedd. Why?"

He could hardly believe it when he felt himself blushing. "You just... You're very talented," he said again.

"Wanna be my leading man?"

"What?"

"Dance with me, Zedd. You owe me for spying on me."

He frowned, but she was right. "Very well," he conceded.

Liza's face lit up as she put on another song. She sang along as she swept Zedd into her arms. He was certain it surprised them both when he began leading the dance. Zedd actually knew a great number of classical dances. Liza kept singing like a professional, but the look in her eyes said it all. When the song finally finished, Zedd kept her close to his body. He couldn't deny he liked having her there.

"Wow..." Liza whispered. "You're, um... You're not so bad at this yourself, Zedd."

"Are you still sad, Liza?" He asked.

"Not so much," she replied, smiling at him.

He couldn't bear to release her. Instead, he did something truly insane and kissed her. The energy that hit him was so overwhelming, he nearly collapsed. He forced himself to focus, not touching any of her life force. Instead, Liza let her instincts take over and sent her magic into him.

When he finally broke the kiss, Liza stared at him. "You don't get to run this time," she informed him.

"I don't think I could if I wanted to," Zedd said honestly. He was done running away. He was alive, and perhaps it was time to live.

BILLY

He was lying in bed with Kimberly curled up across his chest feeling peaceful as he gently stroked her hair. Kimberly traced circles on his chest, something she did when she was anxious.

"Kimberly... Is everything okay?" Billy asked.

"The battle is coming soon, Billy," Kimberly said with a sigh. "I just got you back, and now we're going into a life-and-death situation and literally anything can happen and... And I don't want to have any regrets."

"What do you mean?"

"Life is too short. In the blink of an eye, you can lose everything... We both know that better than most. Billy... If something goes wrong, I want to be able to say I was your wife... Even if only for a little while."

"We could elope... I don't mind that idea... I mean, if the kids are okay with it."

"We'll bring them. Heck, we'll bring all the Rangers... We can get married at the hotel, in the conference room. Everyone's already here... I mean, except for Tommy, which is awful, but I know he'll understand... Is this too crazy?"

"Not at all. It's quite logical. Why wait when tomorrow isn't promised?"

"Do you think any of the Rangers are ordained?"

"We can ask."

They talked to Kenny and Josh first. Both boys understood the urgency. Billy decided to talk to K next. She agreed it was sound logic that the wedding happen now, and said it might even boost morale a bit to take a brief break from talk of battles and bloodshed. Finally, they began calling the other Rangers. Dustin immediately took over planning, promising he'd make sure everything was perfect, but Billy knew it would be perfect as long as Kimberly was there.

He couldn't believe it... He was really going to marry Kimberly, with exactly one day to pull everything off. This might be the biggest challenge the Rangers had ever faced.

THE NEXT DAY.

MERKHET

She scowled at her scrying mirror. "I can't allow Billy to find this happiness," she decided. "The wedding cannot happen!"

"Jealous, Merkhet?" Divatox taunted her. "It's not like you could pull off a wedding dress."

"If Billy is happy, he'll be stronger. We do not want him strong," Merkhet snapped. Divatox didn't know that she'd once had a love she dreamed of marrying. She had no idea what had been stolen away from her, or how she'd ended up in debt to Chaos. Merkhet had to admit that she despised weddings and happy endings.

She stormed off, deciding she didn't need Divatox or Zell or any of them to ruin Billy and Kimberly's day. She had her own people.

"Ooze!" She snapped.

The grotesque man looked at her questioningly. "Can I help you, Merkhet?" He asked.

"You're up!" She declared. "Two of the Rangers are going to get married today. I command you to put a stop to it!"

"You command it? You do not command me, Demigoddess! We are partners. I am not your minion. Now... A Ranger wedding, you say? And they didn't invite me?" He laughed. "I do hope there's room for a few more guests..." He turned to the bird-like creatures he kept as minions. "Tengus, it is time!" He declared. They began squawking in excitement. Merkhet hoped he would be more successful than her other minions had been.

KIMBERLY

When she arrived at the hotel, Trini hurried her into a hotel suite and began helping her get ready. "Now, Dustin has taken care of everything, Kim," she promised. "Mentor Ji is actually an ordained minister and was happy to offer up his services. RJ offered up the entire Jungle Fury team to cater. Even Dominic and Fran came to help. Danny Delgado runs a flower shop and he's supplied an amazing assortment of flowers to decorate the room. He refused to accept any money for his services and said he was just happy to focus on flowers for a bit. A bunch of the kids are helping him with the set-up. Angie and Liza used magic to handle the dresses. Emma is going to be your photographer. She's actually really good with a camera according to Troy. Apparently, one of her passions is photographing nature. Kira's handling music, of course. Imani and Tessa are the flower girls, and Robby's your ring bearer."

Kimberly could feel tears in her eyes as she said, "I can't believe everyone came together to do this for us."

"No crying!" Trini snapped. "I just finished your mascara."

Kimberly laughed. "Sorry, Trini... Thank you for helping me get ready."

"What else is a Maid of Honor for? Now, pucker up so I can make your lips extra kissable for Billy," Trini teased her.

Three hours later, Kimberly stood outside of the conference room they'd transformed into a banquet hall. As the door opened, she saw Billy standing with Josh and Kenny by his side. Trini and K served as her half of the wedding party and walked in behind the flower girls. Kimberly had really wanted to include K, so she was relieved she'd accepted the invitation.

"Are you ready?" Zordon asked, joining her.

"Zordon?" Kimberly asked in surprise. She'd never seen him in a tuxedo before.

"Kimberly, I know your father couldn't be here today, but I would be honored to walk you down the aisle."

She bit back tears as she hugged him. "That would be amazing," she replied. Her father had died several years back, but Zordon had always been like a father to her and she could think of no one else she'd rather have at her side now.

As she walked down the aisle, Kimberly saw the faces of friends and former strangers, united as family because they were all Power Rangers or connected to them. She couldn't help but smile as she saw that Bulk and Skull were already crying hysterically. When her eyes finally met Billy's, she knew how right this was.

Zordon released her arm and offered Billy an encouraging smile before he sat down in the front row of seats.

"Dearly beloved," Ji began. "We are gathered here today to celebrate one of the most enduring and beautiful loves I have ever seen. As two hearts become united in both love and law, we remember that even in the darkest of times, there is beauty and hope in this world." He looked at Robby, who was perfectly still and comically somber, something Kimberly never thought she'd see. "May I have the rings?" Ji asked seriously.

Robby handed him the rings before bowing to him respectfully. He flashed Jason a quick proud smile before standing seriously at attention again. Kimberly had to suppress a laugh at that.

"You have written your own vows, correct?" Ji asked.

Kimberly nodded. "I, Kimberly Ann Hart, take thee, William Cranston, to be my lawfully wedded husband. Billy... The day I thought we lost you, part of me died, too. I never fully gave up on you, and I never will. I love you more than I can express in words, and the only thing I know right now is that we're meant to be together. I don't know how you went from being my best friend to the man I loved, but I am so grateful you're with me now. You are my hero, and I am thrilled to become your wife." She slid his ring onto his finger.

Billy took a deep breath before saying, "I, William Cranston, take thee, Kimberly Ann Hart, to be my lawfully wedded wife. Kimberly, our lives have been anything but ordinary. We became Power Rangers together. We got turned into evil punks together. We accidentally switched bodies when my technology malfunctioned." He paused as several people laughed. "We've already survived the sickness, health, good, and bad together. You got me through the hardest loss of my life. You helped pick up the pieces as Josh and I fell apart. And when I was missing, you were one of the only thoughts that could comfort me. When I came back, you were my rock. You brought my sanity back. You stayed by my side when I didn't deserve it, and because of you, I am still standing. I am unbelievably lucky that you somehow fell in love with me, because your love literally saved me. Becoming your husband is the only logical way for this path to lead. I love you, Kimberly, with everything that I have." He slid her ring onto her finger.

Kimberly was crying. She hoped Trini would forgive her. Ji smiled at them. "Kimberly. Billy. I wish you the greatest joy in your lives together. I now pronounce you Husband and Wife... You may-"

Billy swept her into his arms before Ji could finish and kissed her like he never had before. Ji was laughing as he added, "Kiss the bride."

Kimberly kissed her husband back as everyone cheered. "Okay," she said. "Outside for photos?"

They all agreed and headed out to the hotel's courtyard. Trini quickly fixed Kimberly's makeup before Emma began snapping pictures.

About halfway through the photos, something unexpected happened. Several creatures flew toward them, landing menacingly. "Typical," Kimberly said.

"Statistically, it was inevitable," Billy agreed. They both prepared to fight.

"What the... Are those...?" Rito asked.

"Tengas!" Zedd confirmed.

"Tengus," a voice corrected them.

"No, I'm pretty sure they're called Tengas," Rito insisted. "I mean, I should know. I gave them to Sis and her husband as a wedding gift."

"Rito... Did you call them?" Zedd asked.

"No... You?" Rito replied.

"Certainly not."

"No... I did!" The man who had spoken before showed himself. He was purple, but not in a flattering way.

"Ugh... Gross!" Kimberly mumbled as he tossed some sort of purple goo at Rocky. Adam pulled him out of the way before it could hit him.

"Don't you recognize me?" He demanded. "Ivan Ooze? Supremely evil ruler? No? Nobody? Oh well. It doesn't matter. You'll know who I am now."

"Ivan Ooze is a myth," Zedd said.

"Not true! I just come from another realm."

The fight began. Soon, everyone was battling the creatures. The more they took down, the more Ivan Ooze spit out. It was the grossest thing Kimberly had ever seen, but she didn't let that distract her. They just kept coming.

"Enough of this," Zedd mumbled.

"Agreed," Rito said. Together, they took command of the Tengas or Tengus or Tenwhatevers. Kimberly watched as they took the rest of them out easily.

"Did Lord Zedd and Rito Revolto just save our wedding day?" Kimberly asked.

"It would appear so," Billy said.

"Hmmm... That's something I never thought I'd see."

"I concur." Billy paused. "Much like that."

Kimberly followed his gaze. A Ranger stood fully morphed. Their uniform was identical to the Mighty Morphin' one, but the color was not. "We're finished here, Ooze!" He yelled out. Somehow, he took Ivan Ooze down with ease and trapped him in what appeared to be a tiny snow globe.

"Why do I find that oddly satisfying?" Zedd wondered aloud.

The Ranger looked at Kimberly and Billy. "Sorry, Everyone. Carry on!" He said.

"Wait! Who are you?" Kimberly asked.

He pulled off his helmet and smiled at her. "The name's Fred. Fred the Gold Ranger."

"There isn't a Gold Ranger on the Mighty Morphin' team," Billy protested.

"There is in my reality. I took over after you guys retired. Congratulations on your wedding! I need to get Ooze back where he belongs." Fred offered them both another smile before he opened up a portal and vanished.

"Well... You heard the man!" Jason said casually. "Let's finish up with the photos so we can start the reception."

No one so much as blinked before getting back into position for Emma to take more photos. "Just another typical day in the life of the Power Rangers, I guess," Kimberly said with a laugh. Billy kissed her and she forgot about everything else.

TWO DAYS LATER.

MERKHET

She couldn't believe she'd lost nearly all of her Faction members before their true battle had even begun. She'd been forced to send Emperor Gruumm home because of her daughter wounding him so severely. Lothor had been captured by both the Ninja Storm and SPD Rangers. His nephew Cam had insisted they not kill him, so Bridge had captured him in one of their imprisonment devices and the Ninjas had sent Lothor back to Cam's father, their mentor. Excluding Virges and Goldar, Only Psycho Red and Zeltrax remained. She'd never intended for it to come down to so few minions, even if they were two of her favorites.

"You disappoint me, Merkhet," a voice said.

Merkhet jumped. "Master..." She said softly.

"Your army has been destroyed, and you did the one thing I have forbidden."

"Master... I did it for you."

"No, Merkhet. You did not do it for me." He glared at her. Merkhet forced herself to meet his gaze.

"Are you going to kill me, Master?"

"No."

Merkhet nearly sighed with relief. "Thank you, Master. I shall do better-"

"I am not killing you because you are not worth my time. I am washing my hands of you, Merkhet. Whether or not you survive is up to you." Without further warning, he took back all he had ever given her.

Merkhet screamed as her immortality and much of her power was ripped away from her. She fell to her knees, sobbing. "Master..." She begged.

"You should never have agreed to work with Zell, Merkhet. This is the price. You are the same weak, pathetic Demigoddess you were when I found you. I am no longer interested in this place. Do what you will. I am moving on without you."

He left and Merkhet couldn't move. She hadn't felt this vulnerable since she'd been a child. Terrified, she tried to think of a plan. Zell, she realized. Zell is the only one who can protect you now. Prove you are still of use to him or you shall perish.

She pulled herself together and stood up. She walked back to the lair with her head held high and silently prayed she still had a chance.

TOMMY

He knew he was in trouble when Divatox told Venjix, "It's ready! Enter the machine."

Venjix let out a pleased sound before doing whatever he was doing. Dark Specter laughed. "Yes!" He said. "The machine is finally ready!"

"Turn it on, Mondo," Divatox told the King.

"With pleasure," King Mondo replied. He pushed several buttons.

"And now," Divatox said grandly, "The switch!"

As she flipped the switch, Tommy felt pain unlike any he'd ever felt in his life. Every nerve was on edge, every cell screaming. Whatever this machine was, it was going to kill him... Slowly, but maybe not slowly enough.

Fight, a voice whispered in his mind.

Casey? He asked silently.

Fight, Tommy. Don't give up.

I never do.

The Rangers are coming, Tommy. Just hold on. Don't stop fighting.

I won't. I promise. He struggled to focus, but soon, the pain became all-consuming. With the last of his strength, Tommy vowed to do whatever it took to survive.

KIRA

She stood with everyone. Thanks to David's connection to his brother, they'd finally tracked Doc O down. "Alright... You all have your assignments. Be careful. Be vigilant... And... Well... May the Power protect us all, right?" She asked.

"Ready!" Several teams declared. And so, the morphing began. They went in order without having decided to do so aloud. It was a truly impressive sight to watch so many people morph back to back. When the Ninja Steel kids finally morphed, Kira looked at the Chosen, the only team who had not called on their powers yet.

"We're waiting until it's absolutely necessary," Ollie explained.

"The longer they wear the armor, the easier it shall be for Zell to track them," Caius added.

"Besides, we're not Power Rangers," Tamira added. "We're Chosen. It's a little bit different."

"Just stay safe, okay?" Kira asked. She was worried about everyone, but especially the kids, and the Chosen team had two of the youngest members of this battle.

Ollie seemed to know why Kira was concerned. He squeezed Tamira's hand. "We've got this," he promised Kira.

She nodded. "Good luck, everyone. Let's move!"

Dustin wrapped his arms around her. "Love you, Babe... See you on the flip side," he said.

"Love you, too... So don't get dead, got it?" She asked.

"Yes, Ma'am."

She watched as several couples went their separate ways. Lily and Theo basically made out for a minute. Dominic gave Fran a sweet but quick kiss before handing her off to the Genius League. "I'm not leaving my brother and Andros," V told her.

"I didn't think you would. I hear you like to battle, and we need tech people on the inside of the battle, too," Kira replied. "Zhane tends to run into danger without thinking sometimes and Andros usually ends up following him, so make sure they make it out of this. I'm trusting you to watch their backs."

"Always," V promised.

Leo and Karone were staying together, too. Kira watched as Emma hugged Orion. "I'll be okay," she promised him.

Kira spotted the Samurai preparing to split up. Mike held Emily close. "I love you, Emily," he told her.

Emily rested her head on Mike's shoulder for a moment before saying, "Be safe."

"Kira... Are we good?" Conner asked.

"Totally. Let's do this," Kira replied.

Kimberly and Billy embraced before Kimberly took off with Kenny. Billy and Josh led the entire Genius League toward the weapons area and began distributing weapons to everyone. There was no turning back now. This was happening.

We're on our way, Doc O, she promised.

ZELL

He was amused to realize Merkhet had lost a huge chunk of her power. He wasn't surprised Chaos had turned on her. Merkhet was still of value to him, even if she'd been planning to betray him. She knew Billy better than anyone, and that meant she knew Josh, too.

"Oh, my poor dear!" Zell said sympathetically. "What has Chaos done to you?"

"Great Zell... I am here only to serve you," Merkhet promised.

"A wise choice, my dear. You shall be tasked with one mission, and one mission only... Tell me... Why are you so bent on destroying Billy?"

Merkhet looked surprised. "Billy is a threat. I was told long ago that either he or his son would be my destruction... So I kidnapped Billy and made certain Josh was too broken to continue his legacy. I took Billy's will and entered the minds of every social worker who met with a potential guardian to ensure they were denied and that the boy ended up completely isolated. I sent him to the worst places imaginable, including one I found when I found Angeline... There are monsters in this world who possess no magic but are a different sort of evil, and I ensured the boy was trapped amongst them."

"You know, you are impressive. Your understanding of the human condition leads you to make intelligent, calculated decisions. You are unlike so many of these mindless fools."

"Thank you, Great Zell."

He liked that she was using his title. It told him just how desperate she'd become. Her loyalty was his now. "I shall forgive your attempted betrayal, Merkhet. You will remain in my Alliance, and I will tell no one of the loss of your greater powers."

"I am still a Demigoddess. I have some powerful magic on my own, and the scorpions will still heed my call."

"Indeed, although I value your mind and your ruthless nature above those skills. You shall kill Josh, Merkhet. The boy must perish this day."

Merkhet's natural curiosity got the better of her and she asked, "Why is it so urgent he die today?"

Zell decided to indulge her. "That boy is important to the Legacy team. He is also exceptionally important to Zedd's son, and because of that bond, I must destroy him."

Merkhet nodded. "Then we share a common goal, Zell... I shall do this for you."

Zell smiled at her. He might know he couldn't trust Merkhet, but he also knew as long as she was vulnerable, she'd serve him well. He took a deep breath. "Let us begin."

DAX

He was eager to finish his mission. Dax looked around to make sure it was safe before heading toward his destination.

"Dax?" Ronny asked with a frown.

"Oh! Hey, Ronny," he said after jumping at the sound of her voice.

"Dax, what are you doing? You're supposed to be headed East to help infiltrate the tower... You know, with the crazy walls you need to climb?"

"Oh, yeah... I thought Kira said South. Sorry."

Ronny paused, suspicion clear on her face. "You've been acting odd all week, Dax... Are you okay?"

"Yeah... Just nervous."

"Well, relax. We're in this together, okay? Everyone here has your back."

"Right. I'll see you when it's over, Ronny."

Dax headed East until he was out of her sight, then took a shortcut back to where he needed to be. He ran straight into Merkhet.

"Shit!" He exclaimed. "I thought I was in trouble."

"You will be if you fail me, Dax," Merkhet said. "You may have led Drakkon to Justin, but you've proved to be of little use since."

"What do you need me to do, Mistress?" Dax asked, not looking her in the eye. Merkhet was dangerous, but she'd promised to ensure him a successful career in stunt work if he did what she asked. Dax's career had taken a hit. He couldn't afford to support his family anymore. He thought of his four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son, and of his beautiful, patient wife, and knew he couldn't keep failing them. He'd tried begging Mack's father, their old Ranger mentor, for financial help. He'd come down on Dax pretty hard and refused. When he'd come to Angel Grove, Merkhet had made him an offer that was too good to refuse. Betraying Justin didn't matter to him, as long as Sage wasn't seriously hurt. After all, Adam was his friend, and that was his little girl. Justin was a stranger to him. If handing him over to the bad guys meant Dax could finally give his family everything they deserved, he could live with that... Now he wondered what else Merkhet had in mind.

"You must do everything in your power to ensure that victory is ours," Merkhet said. "This means fighting the Rangers... And possibly killing them... Even the ones you call your friends."

He hesitated. Dax had once been as loyal a Power Ranger as anyone. Could he really turn his back on his own team if he had to? If it puts food on the table for my family, then yes, he decided. After all, where had his friends been when he truly needed them? He'd been struggling alone for the last two years. His son had expensive health problems and Dax was severely in debt because he refused to do anything other than try to give him a happy, healthier life.

"I understand," Dax said. "It's not a problem."

"Very well. I have a target for you, Dax. She gives not only her team but basically everyone who meets her the strength to keep fighting. You must kill her."

Dax swallowed hard. Not Tamira, he prayed. She's still just a baby... I don't want to have to kill a kid. "Who, Mistress?" He asked nervously.

"The Yellow Samurai."

He nodded. Emily. He could do that. He barely knew the girl. Sure, she was innocent and appeared to be a good person, but at least she was older than Tamira. "Yes, Mistress. I will do what you ask."

"Good. Go on."

He walked out of the room. Several feet away, Ronny grabbed him. He nearly attacked her, but hesitated. "Ronny! What are you, stalking me?" He asked.

"Where are you going?" Ronny demanded.

"Oh, just a detour... I got turned around."

"On your way to kill Emily?"

He stared at her. "Ronny, I can explain-"

"Explain what? That you're a coward? That you betrayed us? That you handed Justin, who's traumatized as fuck, and Sage, who is our friend's daughter, off to freaking Lord Drakkon? I can't believe this!"

"So you heard everything." He said this tonelessly.

"Yeah, I did! You fucking turned on us, Dax! But it's not too late. Whatever made you think this was a good idea, we can fix it..."

"I'll fix it myself when I eliminate the target."

"Emily, Dax. Her name is Emily, and she's a sweet girl, and she's a Power Ranger, and I won't let you do this."

"You can't stop me."

"Yes, I can, and I will. You're not going any-"

Ronny's sentence was cut off as a bullet pierced the center of her skull. Dax had fired guns before, on sets, but they were always loaded with blanks. This gun was not, but it didn't feel much different. Ronny lay crumpled in a rapidly growing pool of blood. Her eyes and mouth remained open, frozen mid-rant forever. Dax chuckled, thinking about how fitting it was that the annoying bitch die that way.

"I never really liked you, Ronny," he admitted. "I didn't come here looking to kill my teammates, but thanks for showing me I can handle it if the need arises." Perfectly calm, he walked away, ready to do whatever he had to now.

ZACK

He had a horrible feeling as he headed to his destination. He was meeting up with Jason and some of the others, but he almost felt like someone already knew that and was on their way there, too. Jason had gone ahead to scout the area. Now, Zack hurried toward his best friend.

It's too late, Merkhet taunted him in his head. You agreed to be my eyes and ears, Black Ranger... And I never left your mind. The connection has told me everything I need to know, and now, the former Red Ranger shall meet his end!

Zack understood then what had happened. Merkhet had never made him tell her anything because she'd been able to see it all. He'd betrayed his friends without so much as saying a word.

"Like Hell!" Zack declared. It was never too late. He ran toward Jason, knowing damn well he had no time.

Jason stood setting up a trap, and he wasn't alone... Tamira was a few feet away from him. There was no time to warn them of the danger they were in when Merkhet shot off some sort of spell, so Zack did the only thing he could... He dove in front of Jason, taking the blast himself.

"Zack!" Jason screamed as Zack collapsed. Jason pulled him into his arms and examined the wound the spell had created. There was a very large hole in Zack's chest, but it didn't go all the way through to his back. He still knew damn well he was going to die. He was losing too much blood.

"Daddy!" Tamira screamed. She knelt beside him. Zack reached for her hand and struggled to squeeze it.

"It's okay..." Jason said. "He's... He's going to be okay..." He pulled off his jacket to apply pressure to Zack's wound. "You're going to be okay, Zack," he insisted.

"Daddy..." Tamira sobbed.

"You're so brave, Tammy..." Zack told her. "I love you so much, Baby... And... Your mom, and your brothers... I love you all... But you make me so proud, Tammy... You're... You're my brave baby girl..." He coughed up blood.

"Someone, help!" Jason shouted. Zack knew their healers and medics were all too far away to hear him.

"Merkhet... Where is she?" Zack asked.

I decided this is better, Merkhet said in his mind. Now your daughter is finally going to be as broken and traumatized as the others... She laughed, then faded away, and Zack knew she'd broken the spell. She could no longer see or hear what he did.

"Shhh... It's okay, Zack," Jason promised again. Zack wasn't sure if he was in denial, or if he was just trying to comfort him and his daughter, but Jason kept repeating the words like a mantra.

Zack looked into Jason's eyes. "You're my best friend," he said. "My brother... I love you, Jase."

"Don't do that. Don't say goodbye," Jason begged.

"Jason... I made my choice knowing I wouldn't be walking out of here... But you and Tammy will. Take care of them, Jase... Take care of my family. Promise me. Please."

Jason closed his eyes. When he opened them, he was crying. He looked into Zack's eyes and said, "I promise."

"Tammy..."

"No... You're going to be fine," Tamira insisted. "Right, Jason? He's... He's going to make it. Someone will fix him..."

"Tammy... I want you to sing with me."

"I can't!" Tamira sobbed.

"Come on, Baby... Sing me your favorite song." He took a pained breath and started singing, "This little light of mine... I'm gonna let it sh... Sh..." He coughed up more blood.

Tamira was crying harder as she began to sing. His pain faded into the background as she sang to him. "That's my brave girl... Be brave, Tammy. Keep fighting. You have to keep fighting... I'm so proud of you, Tammy... I love you."

Tamira switched versions, singing, "There's a little flame inside us all. Some shine bright, some shine small. The rains will come and the waters rise, but don't you ever lose your light... In this life, you will know love and pain, joy and sorrow, so when it hurts, when times get hard, don't forget whose child you are... This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine... This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine." Zack knew this was one of Tamira's favorite versions of the song, by Addison Road. He hoped it brought her as much comfort to sing it as it brought him to hear it.

He closed his eyes as she kept singing, allowing her light to wrap around him until, peacefully, everything faded away.

JASON

His heart was shattered. He couldn't even begin to process what was happening. This was Zack. This couldn't be real.

He felt Zack exhale a final time in his arms. He knew by the sound of her voice that Tamira knew, too, but she kept singing until she finished the entire song. Only then did she break down, throwing herself over her father's corpse.

Jason wanted to break with her, but they were in the middle of a battle. He knew they had to keep going. "Tamira..." He said gently.

"Tammy," she said sharply.

"What?"

"He called me Tammy. I... I want to go by Tammy."

Jason nodded. "Tammy... We have to leave this place."

"I know... I... We have to keep fighting. He... He said to keep fighting..." She stood up. "I'll be brave, Daddy... I'll keep fighting..."

Jason stood, scooping Zack up in his arms. "I'm not leaving you here, Buddy," he said sadly. "I'll make sure you get home to your family."

"Come on," Tammy said. "This way."

Jason followed her lead. He carried Zack until they reached what appeared to be a fairly safe room. "Time to rest, Zack," he said softly. He gently placed Zack on the floor in the most comfortable position possible. He knew that was a waste of time, seeing as how Zack couldn't feel anything anymore, but he didn't care. He unballed his jacket and wrapped it around his best friend, covering him so the hole in his chest was no longer visible. The jacket might be covered in blood, but Zack almost looked like he was asleep with the peaceful smile on his face.

Jason was trembling as he stepped back from Zack. "Jason..." Tammy said gently. "We have to go."

"I'll come back for you," Jason promised Zack before joining Tammy at the door. Together, they somehow found the strength to leave that room without looking back.

WES

Time Force had to be careful in this battle. While Wes and Eric lived in the present time, the rest of the team was from the future. Changing the wrong detail could have deadly results, and if any of them died in the past... Well, Wes refused to think about that.

"Are you okay?" Jen asked him.

"Yeah... Just nervous," Wes replied. Looking into her eyes, he was calmer. Jen always made him feel better.

"Look out!" Their teammate Katie shouted. Wes saw her swoop into action, literally tearing a Venjix attack bot apart with her bare hands as it tried to attack.

"Super strength saves the day again!" Jen said with approval.

The next thing that happened was too sudden to make sense of at first. A sword flew through the air toward Wes. It didn't hit him, but something wet and red did. The thing that had hurled it toward him, a monster he suspected Mora had created, stood in front of him, so Wes fired off his weapon and watched it fall to the ground and vanish, presumably destroyed.

"Oh my God..." Katie whispered in horror.

"Oh, no..." Jen added, equally horrified.

Wes looked at his feet and recognized the bloody form lying there. "Eric?!" He asked in shock.

"I figured... I owed you..." Eric said before his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

"No! Eric, no!" Wes cried out, hit with too many emotions to identify. The two had gone back and forth a lot over the years, but Eric was probably the only person who truly understood him. He was the only other part of their team, sort of, who wasn't from the future.

Jen checked for a pulse. "Wes... I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"He... He died?" Wes asked, the shock too much to process. "To save me?"

"Let's not let it be in vain," Katie said gently. Wes nodded. They could grieve later. Right now, he knew they had to continue the mission.

TORI

She was as focused as she'd ever been. Tori watched as Josh and Billy worked on some very complicated computer thing and sensed trouble. She reached out with her senses, trying to find the potential threat, but no obvious source could be found.

"Josh..." Tori said gently.

Josh jumped as she got too close. Tori felt like the worst person on the planet. "Listen... About training... I am so sorry for everything I did to you. I didn't realize that bitch was in my head... But everything I said was wrong, Josh. You're as good as Jayden said... Better even. I've watched you training since everyone got together, and you are amazing. You didn't deserve any of the crap I gave you... I'm really sorry. I just wanted you to know."

"It's okay, Tori," Josh replied, calmer now. "I know it wasn't your fault." He offered up a brave smile she probably didn't deserve. Tori smiled back her best surfer girl smile and tried to relax. It worked until Dustin, Shane, and Adam came into the room. Suddenly, the bad feeling was back. Tori was ready to start using some serious Ninja magic when she saw the threat.

Merkhet was nicely hidden from everyone else in the room, but Tori spotted her dark hair sticking out from her hiding spot. She saw the spear a split second before Merkhet launched it through the air, straight at Josh.

Even if Tori screamed, Josh wouldn't move in time. Tori was already moving before she stopped to think about it. As the spear pierced her heart, she knew she'd done the right thing.

DUSTIN

He heard someone screaming Tori's name. It took him a minute to realize he was the one who'd shouted it. "No!" Shane shouted, springing into action. He ran to her, which made Dustin follow him.

"Oh God..." Adam whispered. He immediately set to work trying to save Tori's life.

"Adam..." Billy said gently.

"I need bandages... And thread. I need to stitch the wound after I pull the spear out..." Adam insisted.

"Adam, it's-"

"I need to stop the bleeding!"

Dustin could tell from the look on Billy's face that it was too late. She's dead, his mind told him, but his heart refused to listen. Tori was his friend... His teammate... She was family. Part of him had just been ripped away without warning. It felt like the entire team was bleeding out slowly.

"Adam, listen to me," Billy said more urgently.

"We can save her... We just... We need supplies..." Adam insisted.

"She's gone, Adam. She was the second the spear ripped through her."

"No! No, we can-"

"She saved me..." Josh whispered numbly. He was staring at Tori in shock.

That seemed to snap Adam out of his own shock. He sighed and closed Tori's eyes gently. "She died a hero," Adam said to Josh. "That's the way she would have wanted it."

"I'll make that bitch pay..." Shane said harshly.

"Shane..." Dustin said gently.

"She has to pay for this, Dustin!"

"Shane... You can't take on Merkhet alone."

"Watch me. " Shane hurried off.

"I have to stop him," Dustin said. "He's not thinking straight."

"Go on," Adam said.

"Josh... Will you be okay, Man?" Dustin asked.

Josh nodded numbly. "We've got him," Billy promised. "Go calm Shane down."

Dustin nodded and ran after him. Where would he go? He wondered. Think like Shane... Come on... You can do this.

He began to run, sensing his teammate through the Ninja bond they still shared. Active Rangers or not, they were all connected. When he heard an evil laugh, he knew he was close. Merkhet left as he arrived, which he took as a bad sign.

"Shane!" Dustin cried, racing to his side. Shane lay on the floor writhing in pain. Dustin could see several sting marks all over his skin. "Oh man... Shane... Shane, what did she do?" He asked, although he suspected the answer.

"Sc... Scorpions..." Shane mumbled.

"The Genius League armed the Medics with antidotes for scorpion venom... We just need to get you to them." He tried to pick Shane up, but Shane touched his arm gently.

"Too... many..." He mumbled.

"Shane, no... There's gotta be time, but-"

"Save... It... For... Others... Too... Late..."

"Please, Man... Let me try."

"Leave. Keep... Fighting..."

Dustin could tell by Shane's extremely labored breathing that it truly was too late. He'd be dead very shortly. "I'm staying," he said firmly.

"Dus..." Shane couldn't even finish saying his name.

"I'm. Staying." He said again, making a point to emphasize the words. "We're family. You don't die alone."

Shane looked at him with gratitude and surprise. Finally, he nodded. Dustin squeezed his hand, and Shane squeezed back until he couldn't anymore. When he was gone, Dustin knew he had to walk away, but it was the hardest thing he'd ever done.

KODA

He liked battling the different creatures they faced now. Cogs, Pirahnatrons, Attack Bots, and whatever else kept popping up, but Koda took them out easily. He moved from room to room and made sure everyone was safe.

"Preston, look out!" One of the younger girls... Sarah, he was pretty sure... screamed. Kira and Sage had stressed protecting the Ninja Steel kids was a priority, so Koda would have tried to save any of them, but seeing Preston in danger hit him harder.

Koda dove between Preston and an especially brutal Attack Bot. He attacked it with the ferocity of a wild beast and put an end to the threat.

"Whoa!" Preston cried in shock. "Thanks, Man..."

"Koda," Koda introduced himself.

"Right... Sage's caveman."

"Yes... You okay now?"

"Yeah."

"You remind Koda of little brother..." It was true. Preston greatly resembled the brother Koda had almost died to protect. "Koda protect him then... Protect you now." It made Koda sad to think about how much he missed his brother, but helping this boy now made him feel a little bit better. Preston smiled at him and Koda knew the boy would be okay.

TIA

She was alone when someone approached her. "I was really hoping I'd find you alone," a voice said.

Tia tensed. She knew that voice... It had haunted her nightmares until David had finally helped her face her trauma. "It is not possible..." She mumbled.

"Oh, I promise, it's possible," the man taunted her.

Tia forced herself to face him. At first, he looked as he had the day he'd attacked her, but soon, his features shifted into a face she also recognized.

"You?" She demanded. "But... But you are a Power Ranger..."

"I am," he confirmed. "But Zell makes a good offer, and you're pretty hot, so..."

"Zell was not back when you-"

"When we had our fun? No, he wasn't. He sent me back in time just to break you. You're Galaxia Campbell's descendant. She was a real pain in the ass to break... He wanted you broken before you ever met the rest of the Chosen."

Tia was struggling to stay calm, but she didn't appreciate his choice of words. "It is a shame, then, that I am not broken..." She immediately cast a spell to attack him and give herself a chance to run.

"Bitch! I'll knock you up again, you slut!" He shouted.

Tia kept running and found herself running straight into someone else. She let out a startled cry as Vida protectively wrapped her own magic around her.

"Run, Tia," Vida whispered. She didn't have to tell Tia twice.

VIDA

She was desperately trying to think of a logical explanation for what she and Chip had just overheard. "Nick... What the hell is going on?" She asked her former teammate.

"I don't know!" Nick said, trying to play innocent. "She just went psycho and attacked me! Wasn't her mom the one who went nuts and turned evil? Maybe she's following in her footsteps."

"Cut the crap, Nick!" She snapped at him. "Tia killed Aisha for turning evil. She didn't turn."

"Nick... We heard what you said to her," Chip said nervously.

"What? Guys, it was her spell! It made me lose it for a second," Nick insisted.

"She's just a kid for shit's sake, Nick. How could you?" Vida demanded. She felt sick. This was her team leader... The son of their beloved mentor... The source of pure good from the day he was born... Not to mention, her sister's ex-boyfriend... Could he really be a monster? Then again, Tia had no reason to lie. Vida had been training with Tia in the sacred space. That girl was as honest as they came, and she was pretty fearless... Yet she'd been terrified of Nick.

"Zell makes a good offer," Nick said, apparently realizing Vida wasn't buying his crap. "He was able to amplify my powers and take me to levels I never dreamed of, Vida... He made me unstoppable... And he promised my child with Tia would be even stronger."

"It's true?" Chip asked in horror. "Who are you?" The disgust was clear in his voice.

"The strongest magician here."

"We'll see about that!" Vida declared.

Nick laughed before shooting a spell at her. Vida dodged it and shot one back. This went on for several minutes until Nick suddenly declared, "I took your sister's virginity, too. It wasn't easy, but I talked her into it... She cried, you know... But she consented, so I didn't do anything wrong... Poor Madison actually thought I loved her!" He was laughing harder now.

"You bastard!" Vida screamed. She reached deep down for her strongest spell, and that gave Nick the opening he needed.

"Vida!" Chip screamed. He attacked Nick, making Nick's spell miss her. Chip, the only one in the room who wasn't actively using magic, struggled with Nick for a minute before Nick snapped Chip's neck right before Vida could reach them.

Vida reacted before she could think and blasted Nick with the strongest spell she knew. It killed him instantly, and he fell to the floor with his eyes still open, staring at her accusingly.

Vida covered her mouth in horror. What did I just do? She thought frantically. Their magic was not meant to be used to kill, and not only had she killed her teammate, but she'd killed her team leader... Udonna's son... Did this make her as evil as Nick?

Looking at Chip's body, Vida began to cry. "Oh, Chip... Why?" She whispered. She pulled him into her arms and wept over him.

It took Vida several minutes to pull herself together. Once she did, she used magic to transport both Chip and Nick to a new location. She might have killed Udonna's son, but she could at least make sure her old mentor got to say a proper goodbye to him.

EMMA

She was near Katie and Kira when she saw trouble. With no time to waste, Emma powered up and took an arrow for Kira. It pierced her armor, knocking her out of her morph, but it didn't pierce her flesh.

"Emma!" Kira shrieked. "Are you okay, Kiddo?"

"I'm alright," Emma promised.

Kira helped Emma get back on her feet. Emma heard Kira's communicator go off. "Kira, we need you!" Conner said. Ethan and Trent were cursing in the background.

"I'm on my way," Kira promised. "You're sure you're okay, Emma?"

"Yeah. Go on. I'm good."

"Right. Katie, I know I was going to head to the center of the building with you, but-"

"It's okay," Katie promised her. "Go on. Save the boys. Dad will freak out if anything happens to any of you."

Kira nodded and rushed off to save her original team. Emma smiled at Katie, who basically rolled her eyes and ignored her. Emma was used to that. None of the Legacy Rangers seemed to like her habit of hugging, but Katie was the most hostile toward her. She shrugged it off. Katie's dad was missing. She was entitled to be upset right now.

Katie started to walk away. Emma realized what was coming seconds before it happened. "Katie!" She screamed. She knocked Katie to the floor as a second arrow shot through the air. Emma wasn't morphed, and this one impaled her side. As it tore through her, Emma knew how injured she actually was.

"What the hell was that for?" Katie demanded as she recovered and sat up. That was when she saw Emma. "Emma... Holy shit, Emma..." Katie stared at her wound in horror. She took Saba and tossed him through the air. He found the Attack Bot who should have changed his name to Oliver Queen or maybe Clint Barton and destroyed it on his own before returning to Katie's hand.

Katie examined Emma's wound. "You're Team Medic... Do you have your supplies?" Katie asked.

"Yes, but... You have to go, Katie," Emma said.

"You're really hurt, Emma," Katie said. She began digging through Emma's supply bag. She pulled out gauze and tried to pack Emma's wound. "We need to get you to a healer."

"Katie... You have to go. Your dad needs you."

"You need help!"

"This isn't about me, Katie. It's bigger than that. Saving Tommy saves us all."

"But... But you took that arrow for me... And I've done nothing but be a total bitch to you from the day you got here."

"None of that matters. Not now. It's about the Greater Good." Emma was struggling not to black out.

"I'll get you out of here."

"I'll only slow you down." Emma knew it was too late. She forced herself to offer Katie her warmest smile. "Go on."

Katie sighed, apparently realizing Emma was right. "I'll come back for you," she promised. "I'll get you help as soon as I can."

Emma nodded. "Good luck," she said.

Katie took off running and Emma knew she'd never see her again. She was certain she had very little time left.

ORION

"Emma!" Orion cried out as he spotted her. The arrow sticking out of her was visible at a distance. He rushed to her side. "Emma..." He whispered as he reached her and realized how severe her wound was.

Emma looked up at him and tried to cover her obvious pain with a smile. "Orion..." She said softly. "You found me..."

"Hang on, Emma... I'm going to get you to someone who can help." Orion tried to scoop her up in his arms.

The arrow shifted. Emma cried out in pain and the bleeding got worse. "Orion... You can't move me."

"But you need help... You... You need... I..." He was starting to panic. He took a deep breath, knowing he needed to stay calm for Emma's sake. "You'll be okay," he promised.

Suddenly, an explosive landed in front of them. The timer was set to ninety seconds, and Orion realized in horror that Divatox had finally learned to set shorter timers.

"I can't move you..." Orion whispered. He looked at the device, trying to figure out how to disable it. He realized as it hit forty seconds that he simply didn't have enough time to do that.

"Orion... You have to go," Emma said urgently. "Run!"

"No! I'm not leaving you!" Orion replied.

"Please, Orion! You can still get out of here!"

"Emma! I am not going anywhere." He wrapped his arms around her protectively. He was an alien. Maybe he had a better chance of surviving the blast and shielding Emma from it. "I love you," he told her. "I'm staying."

"I love you, too," she whispered.

Orion shielded her body with his as the bomb detonated.

ZORDON

He was about to enter a room when he felt an energy he knew all too well behind him. Zordon tried to brace himself as he turned around, but he hadn't seen his father since the day he'd killed him. "Hello, my dear boy..." His father said.

"Father." Zordon replied tonelessly.

"I knew you wouldn't keep hiding... Not if your precious Tommy was in danger."

"Is that why you did this?" Zordon asked.

"Tommy Oliver is merely a distraction, my son. The others may do with him as they like. It is you I have come for."

Zordon suddenly felt like the terrified, abused boy he'd been so long ago. He stared his father down anyway. He had known this rematch would come eventually.

"They're dying, you know... So many of your beloved Power Rangers have already perished, and more shall follow... All of them fight your battles for you... They were children, Zordon. You put together a team of teenagers and turned them into heroes... They are no different than my Chosen. Perhaps you and I are not so different after all."

"There is one very big difference between you and I, Father... The Rangers were not put together because I was afraid of a prophecy and I hoped to stop them from destroying me. My Rangers fight evil, and I stand with them. I am not trying to kill them before they can kill me. I have never deceived them."

"And now, they shall perish, Zordon. I shall destroy all that you have built! But first... I shall take back all that you stole from me." With that, his father attacked.

It had been a long time since his father had flung Zordon across a room without touching him. As Zordon's head hit the wall, he felt too much like the teenager he'd been then. "No," he said firmly. He clung to the word for strength. "No. I shall not give in so easily."

"Everything you created came from my power, my boy! Everything! You are nothing." His father put too much power into his words. As he touched Zordon, he began draining all of his power. Zordon could feel his life force being stolen, too.

"You were never meant to kill me, my son... And now, all that was once mine shall return to me!" His father declared. With a powerful weapon from Eltar, his father stabbed Zordon right through the chest, just as Zordon had done to him as a teenager.

"Zordon!" A voice screamed frantically.

"Kimberly... It is... Alright..." Zordon lied. He desperately wanted to comfort her, but he could barely focus. "Run... Run, Kimberly..." He begged her.

Kimberly had other plans. She called on her power as a Ninjetti. With the agility of a crane, Kimberly soared through the air and landed in front of him. She shielded his body protectively with her own. She assumed a fight stance, her fists ready for whatever might be coming. "If you want to hurt him, you'll have to go through me," she said firmly.

His father laughed. "This one's quite loyal," he said. "My dear, your courage is admirable... And for that, this time, I shall spare your life." He looked at Zordon and added, "Know that she shall be left to mourn you, my son." With that, he left the room.

Kimberly squeezed Zordon's hand. "Zordon... Don't leave us," she begged him. "Please... Please, Zordon, just hang on..."

Zordon wanted to reply, but he had nothing left. His energy had been completely stolen from him and now, he was rapidly bleeding out. The last thing he heard was Kimberly sobbing his name.

SAGE

Anise let out a scream as obvious pain hit her. "Anise? Anise, what is it?" Sage asked with alarm.

"Zordon..." Anise whispered. She had tears in her eyes. "No... No! That bastard!"

"Anise, what happened?" Sage asked more urgently.

"My father... He..." She clearly couldn't bring herself to say the words aloud. It took her three tries before she finally whispered, "Zordon's gone."

"Like Hell he is!" Sage declared.

"I felt it, Sage... He killed him."

"Yeah, well, he's not staying dead."

"Sage, the amount of power it would take to save my brother is too much... If he even exists on the astral plane at all."

"It's Zordon, Anise. I'm not letting him die." With that, Sage headed straight for where Zordon was supposed to be.

She found him in Kimberly's arms. Kimberly clutched him to her chest, weeping. The Ninjetti armor she had on vanished as her emotions overwhelmed her. "Kim... Let me help," Sage said as gently as she could manage.

"He killed him..." Kimberly whispered. "I tried to protect him, but I was too late..."

"You did good, Kimberly. You kept Zell from taking his body with him. I think I can save him."

"You... Are you sure?" Hope flashed in Kimberly's eyes.

"I'm sure that I'm going to do everything in my power to help him."

Kimberly nodded and let Sage take Zordon into her arms. Kimberly didn't stop holding his hand. Anise couldn't look at him.

"I failed him," Anise whispered. "I knew he was in danger. I knew our father would want him dead... I shouldn't have let him be here today. He should have stayed at the Command Center, where it was safe..."

"Anise, you don't know Zordon quite like we do," Sage said. "There was nothing in the universe that would keep him from being here today. My uncle's life is in danger... And we're all putting our lives on the line to try to save him."

Anise nodded. "You're right... Let me help you, Sage."

"You can't help with this. You're too close to it... But you can do something else for me. Go find my son."

"Troy?"

"He's got the same abilities I do... And I can't do this one alone. I know that. I can feel it's going to take more power than even I have on my own."

"I'm on it," Anise promised. She ran off.

Kimberly continued to hold Zordon's hand. "Don't let go, Zordon," she whispered. "I'm here. I'm not letting you go."

"That's good, Kimberly," Sage said. "Keep putting that energy out there. If Zordon stays connected to you, even slightly, I'll have a much easier time finding him."

Moments later, Anise returned with Troy. "Mom..." Troy said in horror, looking at Zordon. "How can I help?"

"Come here," Sage said.

Troy sat beside her. She took his hand in her own. "Focus on Zordon... Focus on the Rangers... And help me bring him back."

Troy nodded. He held her hand tightly, and both of them held their free hands over Zordon's chest. Sage began traveling through the astral plane searching for any sign of him. Troy held her hand, his astral form right beside her.

"Come back to us, Zordon..." She could hear Kimberly saying. She sounded very far away. Sage followed the sound of her voice as it echoed through the void.

"Sage!" Her mother called.

Sage stopped dead in her tracks. "Mom?" She asked.

"Listen to me, sweetheart... You and Troy can do this. I have faith in you... But it's going to take everything that you have. You must each protect the smallest piece of yourselves or this will destroy you both."

"What do we need to do?"

"Hold on to your father. Just as Kimberly is providing the slightest anchor for Zordon, he can provide one for both of you. Send part of yourselves to him. He knows how to protect a soul. He carried me around his neck when I was nearly destroyed as a teenager. He'll carry you both in his own energy field until you're ready to return. Your bodies will need a little bit of time, but this will keep you from dying."

"I understand," Sage said.

"Be safe, my darlings..." She hugged her, then hugged Troy, too.

"I love you, Mom," Sage told her.

"I love you, too." She vanished, and Sage focused.

"Come on, Troy. You heard her," she said. Together, they focused on splitting off part of their energy. Sage knew her mother would guide it to her father for them. They had no more time to waste.

Sage followed Zordon's energy until she finally found what was left of it. There was barely a slither, but it held onto Kimberly's radiant pink light desperately.

"We have to heal him," Sage said.

Troy nodded. They focused their energy on healing his spirit, which in theory, should also heal his body. Slowly, Zordon's energy began to respond to theirs.

"Come on, Zordon," Sage said urgently. "You can't leave us. The Rangers still need you."

"We're here, Zordon... You're going to be alright," Troy added.

Suddenly, a surge of light shot through them both. Sage felt how much of her energy was vanishing and knew her mother had been right to warn her. Not only had Zell depleted all of Zordon's life force, but Zordon was an alien. His energy was completely different from any Sage had worked with before, including Zedd's. Troy still gripped her hand as tightly as he could.

"Mom..." He whispered.

"We've done all we can," Sage said. "Let it go. We'll wake up when our bodies recover."

Troy nodded. He released her hand and they shot the last of their energy at Zordon in unison. Then, everything went black as they both completely lost awareness.

ZORDON

He woke up feeling extremely confused. Zordon blinked and the light hurt his eyes. He inhaled sharply, and for a second, the sensation shocked him. Then, his body seemed to recover, and his breathing began evening out.

"Zordon!" Someone cried in relief. She flung her arms around him. "Are you alright?"

He looked at the woman in front of him and wondered who she was and why she was so concerned about him. "I... I believe so," he said cautiously.

"You... You have hair..." She said in confusion as she studied him.

He touched his long blond hair and looked at her questioningly. "Should I not?"

"Oh no..." A girl who seemed oddly familiar to him said. He could tell she was from Eltar.

"Where are we?" He asked her.

"Don't you remember?" The first woman asked.

"My apologies, but... No. I do not."

"You look so... Young..."

"Well, I am fifteen, so..."

She stared at him. "Fifteen?" She asked.

"That is what I said, yes. Who are you?"

The woman looked hurt. On some level, that bothered him. "Zordon... It's me... Kimberly."

"Kimberly..." He felt like that should mean something to him, but he couldn't quite touch it. Still, it bothered him deeply to see the tears still streaming down her cheeks. He wiped one away automatically, and when he touched her, a flash hit him so hard, he jumped back.

"Zordon? Are you alright?" The girl asked.

"Kimberly... I... I know you," he said slowly. "Don't cry... Please. I am well."

She looked at him. "You remember?" Kimberly asked.

"Not much," Zordon admitted. "But I do remember you... I do not understand what I have seen, but it is clear I know you... And I care for you. I can feel that, deep in my heart. I also recall the two on the ground, though not completely... Sage... And Troy. Correct?"

"Yes. They went after you, Zordon. They used Shaman magic to save you."

"Shaman? I do not know this word..."

"They're Mystics," the girl provided. "Do you remember me?"

"I... I know you. I can feel a connection to you... However, I cannot figure out why that is," Zordon said.

"I am Anise. I'm your sister, Zordon... The one our father hid away."

As she mentioned his father, Zordon suddenly felt panic seize him. "My father is here? We have to stop him! He killed Raven! He killed Quintus! He'll kill the others... I can't let him! I have to save them... I must..." He tried to move.

Anise steadied him with her hand. "Zordon... That was a very long time ago," she said gently.

"What do you mean? He just killed Quin! I have to stop him! They're in danger! I cannot let him kill anyone else!"

"It's been millennia, Zordon... You saved the rest of them. You killed our father."

"I... I did what?"

"You stopped him. You saved the Chosen. I'm afraid Dimitri and Morgana only lasted another year, but that was because of Rita and Master Vile."

Zordon tensed. "Rita?" He asked.

"She killed Dimitri, Zordon. It was an accident. She didn't mean to harm him, but when he and Morgana found her, she was terrified because someone had attacked her, and Dimitri got too close when she lost control of her power... Morgana nearly saved her, but Vile struck her down."

Zordon felt sick. This couldn't be true. This girl must be lying to him! Yet he knew she was not. He could feel it. Dimitri and Morgana were gone...

"Galaxia made it a lot longer... She was in her nineties when she finally passed away..." Anise said gently.

Zordon nodded numbly. All of his friends were gone... Unless... "Caius?" He asked.

"He's alive," Anise promised. "And he's here."

"Caius is here? He will make sense of this for me... Take me to him. Please."

Anise hesitated. "I have to protect the children," she said. "I know our father. If Luke and Lucy are unprotected, he'll try to destroy them. He thinks we're both dead. I have to protect the twins before he decides to kill them before they can kill him."

Zordon didn't know who she was talking about, but he could tell how serious the situation was. "Go," he said. "I will be fine."

"I can take you to Caius," Kimberly promised.

"Thank you," he said with a nod.

Kimberly led him away as Anise reluctantly left them. She looked at him. "It'll be okay, Zordon," she said. "I promise."

He believed her. There was something incredibly genuine about Kimberly that made him trust her even before he remembered her.

When they walked into the room where Caius was meant to be, Zordon froze. "Caius?" He asked. "You have grown older..."

Caius didn't seem surprised to see him. Zordon assumed he'd already had a vision of this very moment. "And you have grown younger, my friend, so I suppose we are even," Caius said with a mildly amused smile.

"It is true then... What Kimberly and Anise told me... All that time has passed?"

"Yes... I know you must be confused, Zordon." Caius put a comforting hand on Zordon's shoulder. "The important thing is you have come back to us. The rest can be dealt with later. All you must know is we are in the middle of a battle and many lives are at stake."

"Ah. It appears not all that much has changed, then."

"Caius, we need the-" A voice Zordon recognized said. The owner stopped speaking mid-sentence.

Zordon spun around and saw the last person he expected standing before him. "Zedd?" He asked in shock. "Your skin... It's... It's healed! You look... You look well."

"What happened?" Zedd asked Caius.

"Zell killed him... Sage and Troy have restored his life force, but... Well... It appears Zell knocked him back to what he was before he killed him," Caius explained.

"Zedd... How are you healed?" Zordon asked. He wasn't sure what was going on. Zedd looked as he had before Zordon's father had turned him evil... He almost seemed like his old self, but that was impossible...

"Sage saved me," Zedd replied. "She is a very powerful descendant of Rose, Zordon."

"Rose? As in...?"

"Yes," Caius said. "My Rose."

"I'm myself, Zordon. She restored my light," Zedd explained.

"How? Even Galaxia said it was impossible," Zordon said. He was afraid to believe it. Could it be possible? Had his brother somehow come back to him?

Zedd pulled Zordon into a tight hug. "I'm me," he promised. "It took a very long time... Several millennia, in fact... But Sage found a way... That girl doesn't believe in the word impossible."

Zordon embraced the best friend he'd believed he would never see again and couldn't stop himself from crying. "I thought we'd lost you forever," he whispered. "I am so sorry, Zedd... It is my fault... I knew... I knew what he was and I left you in his clutches!"

"Shhh... I made my choice, Zordon. I did it to save Xia... I was the fool who believed him. There was nothing you could do."

"I didn't want to leave you with him... I tried to protect you, but he attacked me... I thought he was going to kill me that day... I tried to get to you, but I was too wounded... I collapsed, and by the time I woke... You were gone, Zedd."

"I never blamed you, Zordon. Not once."

Zordon nodded. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. "I don't understand what is happening, but Caius says we are in battle."

"Yes. Which reminds me... Caius, I came to get the weapon Doctor K built for Rito," Zedd said.

Caius pulled out an impressive looking device. "He knows how to use it," Caius said. "Bring it to him."

"Wait!" Zordon said. "Do you... Do you have to leave? May I go with you?" Everyone else was unfamiliar. He wanted to stay with Zedd or Caius, but Caius looked just old enough to remind Zordon how much time had passed. Zedd looked basically the same as he had before his skin had been burned off.

Zedd squeezed his shoulder. "Of course you can come with me. I wouldn't want anyone else at my side... Are you well enough to fight?" He asked.

"Yes, I believe so," Zordon replied.

"He'll do well at your side," Caius said. "Take care of our friend, Zedd."

"Always," Zedd promised. "Come on, Zordon. Let's go."

ANDROS

He stood with Zhane, Cole, Leo, V, and Karone. They were surrounded by Dark Specter's minions. Although Cole and Leo hadn't faced these minions before, Andros, Zhane, V, and Karone were experts in such fights.

"Where's Zoey?" Andros asked Zhane.

"With Zeke and Taylor. They're setting off traps," Zhane explained.

Andros nodded before kicking another minion in the chest. He found himself standing very close to Leo when something exploded and several beams came crashing down toward them.

"No!" Cole screamed. He knocked them both out of harm's way.

Andros sat back up and looked at Leo. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Leo said. Then he looked at something. "Oh, no..." He whispered.

V was kneeling beside Cole. She checked his pulse and looked at Andros sadly. "It was a heroic end," she said respectfully. She cleared some of the blood off of his face.

"Cole..." Andros said softly.

"It's not your fault," Zhane said, as always knowing exactly where his thoughts had wandered.

"We have to keep going," Karone said. "We can't stay here, Andros."

"He was a Red Ranger, too," he replied softly.

V took his hand before pulling him into her arms. "I am so sorry for your loss, Andros... But we have to go. Your sister is right," she said.

Andros nodded. They continued battling their way through the area until suddenly, Dark Specter himself stood before them. Andros moved protectively in front of both his sister and his wife, but that was not who Dark Specter attacked.

"Leo!" V shouted, seeing what was coming a split second before it did. Unfortunately, the warning came too late, and Dark Specter blew Leo up in front of them.

Karone began trembling violently. What happened next was nothing short of alarming. Her hair flashed back to one of the many bright, elaborate hairstyles she'd had before Andros had realized she was his sister...

"Karone..." he said gently.

"Astronema..." Dark Specter said. "At last, you have returned to me."

"You killed him!" She screamed. The rage on her face was rage Andros had only ever seen in Astronema, her evil alter ego. "You'll pay for this!" She began gathering so much dark magic, it took a physical form.

"Karone?" Zhane asked.

"My name is Astronema!" She shot back at him.

"Yes! Embrace your role, Astronema!" Dark Specter shouted. "Embrace your dark magic once more!"

"Karone, stop this!" Andros begged her. "You're not Astronema anymore. You're good. You're pure of heart. You're a Power Ranger."

"Power Ranger? I hate the Power Rangers!" She shouted.

"Andros... We may have to leave her to do this," V said.

"No! I'm not losing her again!" Andros said.

"We can save her after, but she's not going to stop until she's done this."

"Karone!" He said again. "This isn't the way."

"Shut up!" Karone shouted. "Just go away!"

"No! You are my sister, Karone, and I'm not leaving you!"

She was about to shoot her magic his way when she stopped. "Your... Sister..." She mumbled.

"Karone, it's me... It's Andros. Your brother. I know you loved Leo, Karone, but this isn't what he'd want."

"Andros..." She suddenly fell forward, all of her rage-fueled magic falling out of her. Andros steadied her.

"How disappointing," Dark Specter mumbled. "I have somewhere else to be. Excuse me." He fled before they could stop him.

Karone knelt beside the place where Leo had been and sobbed. Andros wrapped her in his arms and finally picked her up, carrying her to safety as Zhane and V followed behind them.

EMILY

She was startled when Dax popped up on her. "Oh! You scared me!" She said. "I thought you were one of the bad guys."

Dax laughed. "That's okay, Emily," he said. "I am." He pulled out a sword.

Emily's eyes went wide and she took a step back. Dax charged at her. She fully expected him to stab her when something else happened instead. Suddenly, blood shot out of Dax's mouth. He stared at her in shock for a moment before he fell to the floor, dead. Standing behind him was the very last person Emily expected to see.

"Deker?" She asked. She took a step backward and her foot found a hole in the ground. Emily let out a cry as she fell through it. A hand grabbed her, saving her from probably falling to her death.

"Easy," Deker said gently as he pulled her up into his arms. "I am not here to harm you." He refused to put her down as he carried her out of the room. Several rooms later, he placed her gently on the floor in front of Jayden.

"What the... Deker?" Jayden demanded. He automatically pulled out his weapon.

"Be more careful with this one, Jayden," Deker said. "She's rather accident prone." With that, he turned around and walked away.

Jayden and Emily both stared after him in confusion. "Okay," Jayden said. "Explain."

"I'm as lost as you are," Emily promised him. "I didn't even know he was alive again."

"Neither did I. Are you alright?"

"Yes... He saved me, Jayden... Twice."

"Seriously? Deker? Mr. 'We Must Duel To The Death'?"

"Yeah. Dax tried to kill me... He was one of the traitors... But Deker killed him instead, and when I sort of managed to fall almost to my doom, he caught me and pulled me back up."

"Okay... Today is officially a weird day."

"Yeah, I'll say!"

"There's no time to dwell on it. Stay with me. You'll be safer with backup. Let's go." He led Emily to their next destination.

MIKE

He saw Katie walking with determination and speed, so he followed her. The last thing he expected was what he saw next.

Liza was in the room. She spun around. "Oh! Katie, it's just you..." She said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm great," Katie said. Before either Mike or Liza could react, Katie pulled out a knife and slashed Liza's throat.

Liza clutched her throat in shock. She stared at Katie, clearly stunned by this turn of events. Katie ripped the necklace from around Liza's throat. "Katie!" Mike screamed. "What are you doing?" He ran to her, putting himself between her and Liza.

"I have to do this, Mike," Katie said urgently.

"No, you don't! Whatever's going on, this isn't the way," Mike insisted.

Katie sighed. "I don't want to hurt you, Mike... Don't make me."

"What the hell is going on, Katie?"

"I'm bringing the bitch back to Zell. He can have her. She's dead. What does it matter? If I do that, he'll let my father go, Mike! He'll give him back to me."

"Katie, no! He's a liar. You know he manipulates people."

"I have to do this! Get out of my way!"

Mike stood firmly where he was. Katie got closer. She pulled out Saba. "No, Katie," Saba said firmly. "I am not yours." With that, he flew out of there. That was when Mike knew he had to do something, no matter what the cost. He let Katie get even closer to him. She grabbed his Samuraizer, but he got what he needed, too, without her realizing it.

Katie cast a Kanji. "Obstacles!" She screamed. The ceiling began to collapse, and before he could move, Mike was pinned beneath the falling debris.

LIZA

Katie turned to face her as Liza stared at Mike in horror. Liza touched her own blood and began casting a spell in desperation. It put up a barrier to keep Katie from getting closer, but if she didn't get help soon, she'd be dead anyway. She tried to find a way to keep Katie from escaping, but Katie's energy had changed... It didn't feel like Tommy's anymore... It felt like Katherine's, but Liza knew she wasn't possessed this time.

"Katie, no!" Zedd screamed as Katie tried to run. Liza decided Zedd had amazing timing.

Katie took one look at Zedd and the young blue guy who was with them and ran in the other direction.

"She looks exactly like-" the blue guy said.

"Yes, Zordon, she does," Zedd said. "I'll explain later. Liza... Liza, are you alright?"

Liza looked at the blue guy and realized what Zedd had just said. She didn't have time to think about it too much. She was dying rather rapidly. Zedd knelt beside her.

"No..." She said. "Mike... Save Mike..." Katie hadn't cut her vocal chords. The wound in her neck was bad, but she knew it could be worse. She had more time than Mike did.

Zedd looked where she pointed. He got closer to Mike and took a quick look at him before bowing his head sadly. Then he came back to Liza. "It's too late for him, Liza," he said softly.

"No... No, he... He tried to save me..." She whispered.

"Shhh... Let me heal you, Liza. It's going to be alright."

Liza didn't fight him as he pulled her into his arms and began healing her wounds. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks. When she was healed, she gave Zedd a very quick kiss before crawling toward Mike.

"We need to get him out from under all of that," she said. "His team... His team shouldn't have to see him like that."

Zedd nodded. He began pulling rubble off of Mike. Zordon immediately went to help. He looked haunted and she suspected he was thinking about how Raven had died. Liza used her magic to help them move some of the pieces. Soon, Mike was uncovered. His lower body was pretty badly crushed, but other than the blood that came out of his mouth and nose, his face was merely scratched a bit. Liza used magic to clear away the blood, determined not to let Emily see her boyfriend like that.

"Wait... He has something in his hand," Zedd said.

"What is it?" Liza asked.

Zedd carefully pried Mike's fingers open to reveal... "It's the White Power Coin!"

"He got her Power Coin from her... That's why he let her get so close... Oh God... Oh, that brave, stupid boy..." Liza sighed. She gently kissed Mike's forehead. "I'll make sure they know what a hero you were," she promised. She handed it to Zordon. "You'll know what to do with that when you're older," she told him.

"Come on, Liza. We have to go," Zedd said gently.

Liza cast a quick protection spell to ensure no one could further harm Mike's body before allowing Zedd to lead her away.

RITO

He saw the fight happening from a distance. Thorn was facing off against Goldar completely by himself. He wanted to help, but then he saw the Black Ranger deliver what was definitely a fatal blow.

Thorn kept moving to wherever he needed to get. Rito ran toward his old friend. "Goldar... Oh, Goldar..." He mumbled as Goldar rapidly continued to bleed.

Goldar looked up at him. "It didn't change anything," he mumbled.

"What?" Rito asked.

"I almost killed him... But it didn't help... It won't bring her back, Rito... It won't bring Scorpina back... I'm... I'm so tired of fighting..."

Rito realized Goldar had finally seen the light. "Let me get someone to help you!" He said. "You can join the good guys, Goldar. They forgave me. They'll forgive you, too."

"No... No, Rito... Let me go. Please. I... I want to be with my love..."

Rito's heart was breaking for his old friend. "Zedd can save you," he said as he spotted Zedd and Liza nearby. "Guys! Come quick!"

The two rushed over to him with their curiously blue friend. Liza frowned when she saw Goldar. "Oh... Wow," she said.

"He changed, Zedd... He doesn't want to be evil... Save him. Please!" Rito begged.

"I can try," Zedd said. He knelt beside Goldar, who winced in pain. "It's okay, Goldar... We won't harm you," he promised.

"Lord Zedd..." Goldar mumbled. "Let me go... Please... And... Bring me here... I... I want to be with her..." He slid something into Zedd's hands.

Zedd looked at it and Rito joined him. "What is it?" He asked.

"A map," Goldar explained. "That's where we buried her... Please... Please reunite me with my love..."

"Of course," Zedd said with sadness in his eyes. "Rest, Goldar... Rest now... It's over now..."

Rito watched as Zedd put Goldar into a deep sleep. Only then did he remove the blade still sticking out of his body. Goldar was dead in seconds. Zedd looked at Liza.

"Can you portal to it?" He asked her.

"Of course I can," Liza said. "Come with me. We can be there and back pretty quickly."

He nodded. "Rito... Do you want to come with us?"

"Yes," Rito said without hesitation. He walked through the very cool portal Liza opened. Zedd carried Goldar's body himself. They entered the tomb together. It didn't take long to spot Scorpina's body at the feet of a statue. Zedd gently laid Goldar beside her.

"May you both finally find your peace," Zedd whispered. He sighed. "Come. We must return to the fight."

Just like that, the battle resumed.

BULK

He stood with Spike, Skull, and Mia. Mia had taken Spike under her wing and spent a lot of time with him recently, and she'd decided to stay close to him for the battle. Bulk was amused by the fact that Mia seemed to have feelings for Spike, too.

They heard a scream and exchanged quick glances before running toward the sound. Kimberly was surrounded by Cogs and other monsters Bulk couldn't identify. Some actually looked pretty fierce, and Kimberly was alone.

Mia sprang into action first, followed by the rest of them. Kimberly and Mia seemed to be doing pretty well when a final monster arrived... Divatox. She sent an explosive flying in Kimberly's direction.

Before Bulk could stop him, Skull dove in front of Kimberly. He knocked the explosive away, but it was still close enough to knock him through the air. "Skull!" Bulk screamed. He ran toward his best friend.

Kimberly was right beside him. "Oh my God... Skull..." She whispered.

Skull had lost an arm and was fading fast. "Skull..." Bulk whispered. "Don't... Don't you dare..."

"Dad..." Spike said in horror. He was crying.

"It'll be... Okay," Skull promised his son.

Bulk pulled him into his arms and tried to stop the bleeding, but it was coming from too many places. Skull looked at him and whispered, "Protect him."

"Always," Bulk promised, knowing he was talking about Spike.

Skull looked into Kimberly's eyes. "At least... I can see... Something beautiful before I..." He said. He didn't finish the sentence as his last breath escaped him.

Kimberly was sobbing openly. "Skull... Oh, God, Skull..." She cried.

"Dad, no!" Spike screamed. "Come back... Please..."

Kimberly seemed to register the traumatized teenager and pulled him into her arms. "I'm so sorry, Spike," she told him.

He held her for a moment before allowing her to release him. Mia's arms replaced Kimberly's and Spike began sobbing against her shoulder. "I'm here," she promised him. "You're not alone."

"You'll never be alone," Bulk added. "I've got you, Kid."

Spike nodded at him gratefully. Bulk stood, scooping Skull up in his arms. "Let's get him somewhere safer," he said gently. He wanted to freak out. He wanted to break. He wanted to quit... But the fight wasn't over yet, and Bulk knew this was a lot bigger than the two of them. He could grieve this loss tomorrow, if he survived long enough... And he needed to survive now... Spike had no one else.

I'll protect that kid with everything that I have, he silently vowed. He clung to Skull and added, I love you, Brother... Always.

ZELL

He saw Katie and laughed. "I knew you could do it!" Zell declared as she handed him the necklace containing his daughter. He realized something had changed in her. "What's happened, my dear?" He asked.

"I... I killed him, Zell... I killed Mike," she whispered. "It was an accident. I was trying to prevent him from stopping me, but... I killed him. I killed a Power Ranger. I can't ever go back now... Even Saba left me."

Zell smiled at her. "You have done well, my granddaughter. You have fulfilled your destiny. Now, you must do one other thing if you wish to join my side." He knew she had no choice. If she'd really killed a Power Ranger, she would never be accepted by her friends again. The evil was ready to come out in her. "You must shed the last of your good, Katie... And to do that, you must kill the one who keeps you good..."

"No... Not... Jayden?"

"You love that boy. You must kill him. Then I will know you are truly evil."

"I... I don't know if I can."

"You can, Katie. Trust me."

She nodded. Enough of the evil had awakened that she wanted to do this on some level. "Okay," she said. "I will do it... And then you'll release my father and take me with you?"

"Yes, Katie. If you kill Jayden, I will take you with me."

She nodded and ran off to accomplish her mission. Zell continued walking until he found his true targets. The Chosen stood before him.

Tamira looked surprisingly focused. He admired that she could still fight after the loss of her father. The others seemed well, too. Zell was going to change that. He cast the spell he'd been waiting to cast all day.

It amused him greatly to watch as, one by one, the Chosen fell under his spell. Brian was the first. He began calling his sister's names as Zell showed him his entire family on fire, burning before his eyes. His panic alarmed the others.

Tia was the next one he hit. She saw two things... The man he'd sent to rape her and the mother she'd had to kill. She immediately began fighting both of the invisible enemies.

Tamira fell to her knees in anguish as he showed her the cause of her grief... Her father, dead at her feet again. "Daddy! No!" She screamed. "Please... Daddy... Please... Come back... Don't leave me... I need you... I can't do this alone..."

Ollie was about to reach her when Zell showed him his deepest fear... His mother dying, followed by his entire team... Ollie's fear was failing those he was supposed to protect. He screamed and fought as their deaths played in his mind on a loop.

Zell especially enjoyed messing with Angeline. He called up an image of a baby... Their baby, the one she'd destroyed... "Why did you kill me, Mommy?" It demanded. "How could you do that to me? You're evil! You killed your own son! Murderer!" Angeline began screaming as the child attacked her and continued calling her a murderer.

Caleb froze as Zell called up every spirit he could. Some were connected to the boy. Others were not. His parents were front and center, and all of the spirits were reaching for Caleb and trying to touch him. He backed himself into a corner, pressing against the wall to try to escape them as they inched closer and closer.

Finally, Zell turned to Taylor. He conjured up yet another vision of Aisha.

TAYLOR

"I don't love you! I can't! You are nothing! I will never love you!" Taylor's mother screamed at him as she tried to attack him.

Taylor stared her dead in the eye. "You're not telling me anything I don't know," he said firmly. He turned to face Zell. "You're going to have to do better than that, Zell. I tell myself that every day."

With that, he looked at his teammates. They were all clearly fucked by this spell. He was the only one still in control. Fuck, he thought. I have to protect them. They can't do it themselves. He knew he had to fight, no matter what happened. Taylor closed his eyes and allowed his instincts to take over. He grabbed onto Zell and drained some of his energy.

"What?!" Zell demanded. "Impossible!" His rage was clear, but so was something else... His fear.

"Well, you know..." Taylor said casually. "I am just like my father!" He drained more energy from Zell. It overwhelmed him. There was too much power there, much more than Taylor could take on his own, but he put a serious dent in Zell's energy anyway.

They began flinging magic at each other. Zell screamed as Taylor actually managed to hurt him. "I guess this is why you were so afraid of my dad, huh?" He asked. He kept attacking, praying he had enough power to do whatever it took to keep his team safe.

"You little bastard!" Zell shouted. "I'll see you dead!"

"I'll take you down with me, you ugly piece of shit!" Taylor retorted.

They continued battling and Taylor focused entirely on Zell, knowing any hesitation or slight moment of distraction would get him killed.

CALEB

He was so cold... He couldn't breathe... There were too many spirits... So many...

Caleb shook his head and focused on his parents. It hurt his heart, but he knew he had no choice. He reached toward them and they embraced him. "You can do this," his mother told him.

"Use the energy, Caleb... Take it into yourself," his father said.

"I'll die..." Caleb said.

"No... You were meant for this, Caleb. This is your gift. You can harness our energy. You can use it to save yourself and your team," his mother insisted.

Caleb took a deep breath and tried. He allowed the spirits to touch him, taking control of their energy as it flowed through him. He didn't collapse. Instead, he felt stronger. And suddenly, the spirits vanished.

He saw Taylor going one-on-one against Zell. He knew he had to help the rest of the team. Caleb looked at Brian and heard him screaming for his family. "Brian! Brian, listen to me," he said urgently.

"They're burning! They're all burning!" Brian screamed.

"They're not here, Brian! Your dad and sisters are in Korea. Your mom is here, but she's safe. She's not in this room."

"They're... They're safe?" Brian asked.

"It's an illusion, Brian. You know your dad and sisters aren't even in this country."

Slowly, Brian nodded. Caleb could tell the illusion had broken. They both turned to Tamira next. "Daddy!" She screamed.

"Tamira, it's not real," Brian said gently. "Zack's okay."

Caleb realized with horror that one of the few spirits remaining in the room was Zack. "Oh God... Oh, Tamira..." he whispered. He pulled her into his arms. "He's dead, Brian. Something must have happened."

Brian looked devastated. He joined the hug. "Tamira... Listen to me," he said. "I am so sorry, honey... Your dad was amazing... But you have to focus now. You have to keep fighting. Zell is here and-"

"Keep fighting..." She mumbled. "Daddy wanted me to keep fighting..." Slowly, she snapped out of it, too. She wept in Brian's arms, but she was awake.

Caleb turned to Angie. She was screaming her head off and sobbing. "Angie," he said.

"I'm sorry," she cried. "I killed him... I'm so sorry..."

"Who, Angie? Who do you see?" Caleb asked.

"The baby... I... I killed him and he's so angry..."

"Angie... There's no baby here. I see all the souls in the room... The baby isn't one of them. It had no soul, Angie. It was pure evil. You did what you had to do. You're safe now. It's over. Do you understand?"

"You... You don't see him?" She asked tearfully.

"No, Angie. He's not here."

She nodded and began trying to calm down. She followed him toward Tia, who was still trying to defend herself. Angie zapped one of Tia's spells away before it could do any harm. That seemed to get through to her.

"You're safe, Tia," she promised. "It's a trick... It's all a trick."

Tia took several deep breaths before nodding. "Taylor... Oh Gods, what's he doing?" She asked, seeing Taylor still fighting Zell on his own.

"Ollie!" Tamira shouted. "Ollie, you have to snap out of it!"

"No... You're dead... You're all dead..." Ollie whispered.

Tamira finally got fed up. She kissed Ollie, who proceeded to stare at her in shock. "Do I feel dead?" She demanded.

Knowing the team was focused again, Caleb said, "We have to help Taylor!"

"Zell's bleeding!" Tamira said in shock. Caleb stared at Zell and realized in amazement that she was right. Taylor had wounded Zell so severely, he was dripping blood everywhere. His energy was flashing in and out visibly and Caleb knew that, somehow, Taylor had won the fight.

"Oh shit... So's Taylor!" Angie said.

Zell fled the room, barely able to run. "Let him go," Ollie said. "He's weak. He can't hurt anyone right now. Taylor needs us."

They all sat around Taylor, who had collapsed on the floor. His nose was bleeding, and Caleb suspected it was not from a physical injury. He could feel how close to death his friend was.

Angie and Tia began trying to heal him. "It's not working!" Tia said in alarm.

"He has to heal himself," Angie realized. "He's too far gone!"

"Taylor..." Someone said in horror. That was when Caleb noticed Josh standing in the doorway.

JOSH

He raced to Taylor's side. "Taylor... No... You can't die," he whispered. "Please..."

"We can't heal him," Tia said. Angie was crying. The other Chosen looked like they might join her.

"You can't leave me," Josh said urgently. He pulled Taylor into his arms. "You have to live, Taylor... Because... Because I love you, and I can't lose another person I love!"

Taylor remained unconscious. Josh did the only thing he could and kissed Taylor in front of everyone. He could feel them staring at him in confusion, but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered but saving Taylor's life.

"I love you," he whispered again as Taylor began coming around. He kissed him harder as he realized it was working. He poured every ounce of energy he could into Taylor, no longer caring what anyone thought. He had to save him. He realized his words were true. He did love Taylor, and Taylor needed to know.

Taylor's eyes fluttered open and he groaned. Josh sighed with relief. "Josh?" Taylor asked in confusion.

"I love you!" He blurted out again.

Taylor stared at him in shock. "You... What?"

"You heard me."

"You... Love me?"

"I do. And I'm not denying it anymore."

Taylor actually started to cry. Josh pulled him into a tight hug and refused to let him go. "It's okay," he promised. "You're okay now..."

"I love you, too," Taylor told him softly.

"I know."

"Are you okay?" Angie asked gently.

Taylor nodded. "I think so... Did I get him?" Taylor asked.

Ollie laughed in relief. "Yeah, bro... You did. He's hurt badly. He ran, but I don't think he'll be an issue for a bit," he said.

Taylor nodded. "Then we need to go find Tommy," he said.

"Taylor, you're just barely regaining consciousness," Josh said.

"I'm okay," Taylor promised him. "You saved me." He hesitated, but Josh knew he wanted to kiss him. Josh appreciated that Taylor was trying to respect that Josh had insisted on hiding the fact that he enjoyed kissing him from everyone, but the time for that was over now. Life was too short. Josh kissed him, making sure Taylor knew he never had to pretend they were just friends again.

"I hate to break up this adorable new couple," Brian said, "but we really do need to go."

"Right," Josh said. "Come on. I know where everyone's heading."

THEO

He'd been severely wounded by Queen Machina and King Mondo. Now, Theo was stuck in a room full of their Cogs, left to die. When Lily arrived with RJ, Casey, Dominic, and a severely injured Fran, along with a couple of other badly injured Rangers, she sent the rest of them through to the chamber beneath the room.

"Theo... Oh God," Lily whispered. "We'll get you help. Come on..."

"Lily... You can't move me," he said.

"Of course I can. We're getting out of here."

"The room is sealed, and that's the one thing protecting everyone below it, Lily. The Cogs will kill them all. We have to stop them."

Lily examined the room. "I have an idea," she said. "That pipe up there will spill a ton of water in here very quickly. It'll short the Machine Empire out... The pressure of it will probably crush them all. Divatox planted a bomb up there. I can set it off."

"That's a great plan, honey, but there's one problem... You'd have to detonate the bomb while still in the room."

"I know," Lily said.

"No... Lily, no!"

"I'm not leaving you, Theo, and I can't move you, and we need to stop the Cogs... I'm okay with this. I can do this."

"No, damnit! You're not doing that."

"It's the only way, Theo!"

Except it wasn't. Theo sighed. He pulled her closer. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Lily... Do one thing for me," he said.

"Of course," she said. "Anything."

He kissed her. Then, he put his hand over the button to unseal the door. "Live," he said. He unsealed the door, shoved her through, sealed it again, and fired off a shot to set off the bomb.

LILY

As the explosion went off, Lily began screaming. "Theo! No!" She screamed. "No!" She kept screaming the word, as if that would change anything.

"Lily... Lily, sweetheart..." RJ said urgently. He pulled her into his arms. "Lily, I know... I know you loved him, and I know your heart just shattered, and I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry, honey... But you have to be quiet now. We have injured people down here... And if you keep screaming, they're going to find us, and Fran... Fran can't fight, and she's really hurt, and I know you love Fran... Please, Lily... I'm so sorry, but please, just... Just... Shhh...." He held her tighter, stroking her hair.

Lily sobbed against RJ but managed not to scream anymore. She might never recover from losing her husband, but she was still a Power Ranger. She wouldn't endanger people who couldn't defend themselves. She buried her face in RJ's arms as Casey joined them, stroking her back soothingly. She struggled to find the will to keep fighting, but she knew she had no choice. If she didn't, then Theo's sacrifice would have been pointless, and she refused to allow that.

TANYA

Divatox had her and Maddie surrounded. As she came toward her, Taylor from the Wildforce team jumped between them. "Taylor!" Tanya cried as Divatox stabbed her with something.

"No!" Maddie screamed.

Taylor looked up at them and said, "Yellow Rangers... Have to stick... Together..." With those words, she died.

"You bitch!" Maddie screamed. She was about to attack Divatox when Divatox attacked her first.

Tanya didn't stop to think. She fired off a shot right into Divatox's chest as she screamed, "Stay the hell away from my daughter!"

Divatox fell with a stunned expression on her face. "Mom!" Maddie cried.

"I never liked her anyway," Tanya said.

Maddie started laughing. "That was awesome... Just in case you were wondering." She hugged her.

Tanya sighed and took off a jacket. She covered Taylor with it. "Thank you," she whispered. Maddie stood by her side solemnly, neither of them sure what else to say.

DOCTOR K

Gem, Gemma, Flynn, Ziggy, and Justin were close by. Venjix was sending constant attacks their way. "We have to hurry," Doctor K said. "There's very little time."

"Get me to the base," Justin said. He was shaking, but holding his own well enough.

"We'll go together," K promised.

Suddenly, she heard Gemma let out a cry of anguish. K spun around and saw Gemma holding Gem in her arms. "You can't..." Gemma whispered.

"No..." K said in horror.

"He... He saved my life..." Flynn said in shock.

"I did it for you," Gem mumbled to his twin.

"Gem! No! Don't..." Gemma begged.

K knew by the final sound she made that her twin was dead. K's legs wobbled. Ziggy steadied her. "I'm sorry," he said. "I know how close you were."

"Ziggy... Stay with Gemma and Flynn," K said. "I have to get to that room with Justin. We have to stop this." She refused to think about what had just happened.

"You can't go alone," Ziggy protested.

"They won't," a voice said. K saw TJ and Cassie standing nearby. It was TJ who had spoken. "We've got them."

Ziggy nodded, then tried to comfort their friends while K and Justin followed TJ and Cassie. "There's very little time," K said tonelessly. "We have to shut that machine down."

"It's killing Tommy," Justin added. "His life force is bleeding away and going into Dark Specter. We can't let that happen."

"You take the lead," TJ told Cassie. "I'll cover the back."

Cassie nodded. She led the way and K followed blindly, refusing to think about anything except their mission.

CASSIE

They'd nearly reached the room when a combination of minions from every group surrounded them. "What do we do?" She asked.

"Get to the room! We'll fight our way through," TJ said.

Cassie didn't have to be told twice. They fought off as many of the minions as they could, reaching the doors. Cassie pulled it open and sent Justin and K inside. "Come on!" She said to TJ as she stood inside holding the door open for him.

"I love you," TJ said.

It took Cassie a minute to realize what he was doing, but he pulled the door shut and used his own body to block the minions from getting in. "TJ, no!" Cassie screamed. He didn't have any powers! What the hell was he thinking?

Cassie watched in horror as three Attack Bots literally tore him in half, sending the top half of his body one way and the bottom the other. She screamed his name, banging on the door, desperately trying to open it.

"Teej!" Justin screamed in just as much horror. He was staring at him through the window and the last of his carefully built walls crashed down. Justin shut down completely, having the worst panic attack Cassie had ever seen him have.

K was trying to handle the technology. "I need help," she said. "One of us needs to shut it down while the other reverses it."

Cassie took a deep breath, pushing her grief down as far as she could. She was shaking as she said, "Justin... Justin, we have to keep fighting... Tommy still needs us. TJ... TJ made his choice." Her voice cracked. "He saved us so we could save Tommy... We can't let that be for nothing! We have to do this... We have to save Tommy... For TJ."

"For Teej..." Justin whispered. He struggled to calm himself down enough to somewhat function. He sat down beside K, still trembling violently, and began to run one of the two programs.

Cassie forced herself to look away. She couldn't look at TJ's body any more. She watched as K and Justin worked their tech magic.

"That's it!" Justin said. "I'm in!"

"Me, too," K said.

Cassie nodded. "Work fast, guys," she said.

Two minutes later, they were done. "The process is going to reverse shortly," K promised.

"I shut it down... But we have to get there physically," Justin said. "Venjix is still alive. Until he's not, we can't fully stop this."

"Then let's go fight," Cassie said.

They stepped out of the room. None of them looked at TJ as they walked by. Cassie forced herself not to cry. She could grieve when they had Tommy back.

ZEKE

He and Zoey had continued setting up traps while Taylor ran off to help the Chosen. It was fun watching the monsters panic as Zoey used her telekinesis to send evil dolls after them. They all looked very confused by her attacks, and Zeke was having fun... That was, until someone tried to blow her up.

His father was with them as that happened, along with Adam. Zeke threw himself in front of Zoey, knocking her to the ground so she'd be safe.

"Zeke!" Zoey shouted, actually using his real name. That almost never happened, so he knew it must be bad. He couldn't feel anything, so his body had to be in shock.

"Take care of my dad," he begged her.

His eyes closed and everything went black... Then he saw a light. "Wow... Super cliché," he said aloud.

Casey appeared. "Oh, my sweet Zeke..." She said sadly.

"Casey?" He flung his arms around her. "I missed you."

"I miss you, too, Zeke... Listen to me... You have a choice to make, Zeke. You have fought bravely, and if you choose to stay here, that's fine. You don't have to fight anymore... But you can go back, Zeke. I can send you back."

"Do it," he said without hesitating.

"Are you sure? I know you've been through a lot lately. Everyone would understand if-"

"I'm not finished yet, Casey," he said. "My dad needs me... And my friends need me... And I wanted to die before... But I'm over that now. I'd do what I did just now again in a heartbeat, but that doesn't mean I want to die."

She smiled. "I'm proud of you, Zeke," she told him. "I love you very much."

"I love you, too," he told her.

"Go on... Go home."

He nodded. Zeke felt his body wake up in his father's arms while his dad still sobbed over him. "Dad... Kill the waterworks. False alarm," Zeke said.

"Zeke? How?" His father asked, hugging him.

"Dude... Can't breathe..." Zeke said.

His father loosened his grip slightly. "I thought... I thought we lost you."

"You did... But Casey sent me back."

Adam looked at him with tears in his eyes. "Of course she did," he said softly.

He felt a whack on the back of his head as he stood up. "Ouch!" He said.

"Bad Freshman!" Zoey said. "If you ever fucking scare me like that again, I'm going to kill you myself!" Then she hugged him.

"I love you, too, Zoey," he said with a laugh. "Come on, guys. We've got work to do."

TOMMY

He could feel himself dying. This was it. Casey was suddenly by his side. "Casey..." He said.

"You're in your astral form now, Tommy. Listen to me," Casey said. "You have to find something... It will save you. It's something we didn't know about, and it's your only chance..."

He nodded. "Tell me what I have to do."

"Find the Power Coin, Tommy... You'll know it when you find it."

"Which Power Coin?"

"Just look. I promise, you'll find it soon."

Tommy fought like he'd never fought before. He pushed through every black hole he encountered, allowing whatever was calling to him to pull him toward it. Finally, his fingers wrapped around something. It burned hot in his hand, but he held onto it for dear life.

"Now run, Tommy! Run back to your body!" Casey shouted.

Tommy did exactly as she said, still clinging to this mysterious coin.

JUSTIN

Dark Specter had been knocked down when they arrived at the machine. Justin sighed with relief when he realized Tommy was still breathing, even if he wasn't conscious. "Doc O!" Kira cried as the entire Dino Thunder team joined them.

Venjix stood looking at them. He zeroed in on Doctor K immediately. Justin did the only thing he could. He didn't stop to think as he grabbed the syringe in her pocket. It was designed to pierce metal, and he stabbed it through Venjix's chest while Venjix was distracted.

Venjix screamed. "No!" He struggled for a moment before he began sparking. Quicker than Justin could fully register, Venjix fell apart and stopped moving. The machine finally turned off.

"Tommy!" Cassie shouted. She moved closer.

"You did very well, Justin," Doctor K told him.

"Watch out!" Andros screamed as he arrived with Zhane, V, and Karone.

Dark Specter stood back up. He reached toward Tommy. Karone took the weapon they'd specifically designed for him and fired off a shot. It hit him and he collapsed. Minutes later, as the last of Tommy's energy was drained from him by the machine reversing its attack, Dark Specter spontaneously combusted.

Karone looked at peace with that. She allowed Zhane to hold her as Andros and Kira rushed to free Tommy from his restraints.

TOMMY

He woke up in pain, but alive. He looked up at the Rangers surrounding him and smiled. He looked at the coin in his hand and laughed. When a familiar foe showed his face, Tommy knew what he had to do.

"Guys... It's Morphin' Time!" He said. "Allosaurus!" He cried, putting his paleontology degree to good use as he recognized the very impressive and deadly dinosaur on this new coin. Tommy took comfort in the familiar sensation of morphing. He looked down at himself and realized he was now...

"A Gold Ranger?" Andros asked.

"Apparently," Tommy said. "You guys did great! Thank you."

"We're not done yet," Conner pointed out. Zeltrax was still watching them.

"We've got this," Tommy said.

Together, he and the Dino Thunder kids (who were no longer kids) attacked their old enemy. They defeated him easily, and Tommy felt on top of the world.

"Are you okay, Doc O?" Kira asked.

"I am... And I'm proud of you, Kira. I knew you could do it," he said.

She smiled. "Come on. Let's go see who else needs our help," she said.

JAYDEN

He stood with Emily by his side when they saw a horrible sight. "Mike!" Emily shouted. She knelt beside him, but it was obvious he was already gone. "No... No, oh God, Mike... Mike... I..." She was sobbing.

"Emily..." Jayden said gently.

"I didn't... I never told him..." She whispered. "I love you, Mike... I love you."

Jayden knelt beside her. He pulled her into his arms. "I'm so sorry, Emily," he said. "We'll find whoever did this... We'll make them pay."

"Will you now?" Katie asked.

Jayden looked up to see her. "Katie... What's going on?" Jayden asked.

"It was an accident," she said. "I never meant for him to get killed."

"What?" He couldn't believe he'd heard her right.

"You can have his Samuraizer back now if you like."

"Katie..." He stared at her. It couldn't be true.

"I'm sorry, Jayden. I really am... But I have to do this." With that, she ran at him with a sword.

"No!" Someone screamed. Ji appeared from out of nowhere and dove in front of him, taking the blow.

Katie seemed to realize she had no choice left. She ran before anyone could attack her. "Mentor!" Jayden screamed. He pulled Ji into his arms, sitting on the floor and rocking him.

"It's alright, Jayden," Ji said through his pain.

"We can save you," Jayden said.

"Jayden... It is my time, not yours."

"Ji..." Jayden's voice cracked. "You're my father, Ji... You were my father, and I love you..."

"I know, Jayden," Ji promised him. "I've always known that. And I love you as a son."

"I'm so sorry, Ji..."

"You have no reason to apologize. You fought with honor, Jayden. Keep doing that, and I will always be proud of you."

"Ji..." Jayden knew he was gone. His heart felt like Katie had torn it out of his chest. He looked at his team who were all there now.

"Jay..." Antonio said softly.

"We have to stop her," Jayden said. He didn't know how to let go of Ji. He couldn't bring himself to do it.

"We have to keep fighting," Emily said. "Mentor and... And Mike... They gave their lives for this fight. We have to honor that." She put a hand on Jayden's shoulder. He found the strength to release Ji and stood up.

"I am so sorry, Jayden," Kevin said. "This is truly horrible."

"We'll make her pay," Antonio promised.

"We're here, Jayden," Mia promised. Spike stood with her, but he didn't speak. He looked devastated and Jayden knew his father or Bulk must have been killed, too.

"Let's go," Jayden said, leading them toward a fight he had never thought they'd have to face.

THORN

Thorn watched from a few feet away as Katie stood with Kenny, who was trying to reason with her. "Katie... Don't do this," he begged her. "You're being manipulated."

"No, Kenny," Katie said. "I'm finally free from that."

"I can't let you go any further."

"You can't stop me."

Kenny planted himself firmly in her path. "No. You won't hurt me, Katie. I know you won't."

"Try me!"

"Olivers protect Harts! Remember?"

"That's true," Katie said. Then she laughed. "But Hillards try to kill Harts, and I'm not just an Oliver, Kenny." With that, she lifted up her sword, ready to take Kenny's head off.

Thorn knew what he had to do. He pulled out his own sword and stabbed his cousin through the heart. Katie let out a surprised gasp before falling to the ground.

"Are you okay?" He asked Kenny, trying not to focus on what he'd just done as he helped his friend steady himself.

"I... Oh God..." Kenny whispered. He looked at Thorn. "Thank you."

"It was the only choice," Thorn said.

"Oh my God..." A voice said. Thorn turned around and saw several Rangers appear, including Kira, his father, and... His uncle.

"Uncle Tommy! I... I had to..." Thorn whispered. "I'm so sorry!" He was crying now.

Tommy stared at his daughter, then looked at Thorn. "You wouldn't have done this unless that was the truth," he said.

"She tried to kill me," Kenny said numbly.

"She killed Mike," Jayden said from the door. "And... And Mentor Ji."

"And she tried to kill Liza," Sage said as she and Troy entered the room. Both looked exhausted and pale.

Slowly, most of the surviving Rangers made their way to the room. Tommy knelt beside Katie and closed her eyes gently with his thumb. "I love you, Punk," he whispered. "I just don't understand why you did this."

"I'm so sorry, Uncle Tommy..." Thorn sobbed.

Tommy stood and hugged him. "I understand why you did it, Thorn. You did the right thing," he said softly. His grief was clear.

Suddenly, Kira sprang into motion, seeing something no one else did. She dove in front of Tommy. Thorn's eyes went wide with horror as something impaled her through the stomach.

BILLY

Everyone started at Kira in horror. "No!" Tommy cried. He pulled her into his arms.

"Kira!" Dustin screamed. He looked completely panicked as he knelt beside her and Tommy. Billy knew he must be flashing back on Tori's eerily similar situation.

"I... I'm okay," Kira said. "I'm okay..." She kept repeating it.

"She's in shock," Billy said.

"Dad... If we pull that spear out..." Josh began.

"She'll bleed out immediately," Billy confirmed. There was no way Kira could survive her injury, no matter how much she kept repeating that she was okay.

"Kira... Just hang on, sweetheart," Tommy said.

"Kira..." Conner's voice cracked as he said her name. He was openly crying. Trent, Ethan, and Hayley looked like they were about to follow suit. Everyone looked devastated.

Someone knocked Billy down. When he looked up, he saw his dear friend Cestro. Blood ran down his head, where someone had shot him with some sort of weapon.

"Cestro!" Billy cried. He couldn't believe this was happening. He'd been close to all of the Rangers of Aquatar, but especially to Cestro.

"He died as he lived," Delphine said sadly. "Bravely and nobly." The rest of her team bowed their heads in respect.

Billy realized who'd shot both Kira and Cestro. "Merkhet..." he said.

Before she could run, Billy grabbed one of the weapons he'd helped design. Josh grabbed another. Together, they pointed them at Merkhet.

She looked nervous as she tried to run. Billy didn't give her the chance. He and Josh fired off their weapons in unison. Merkhet dropped to the floor immediately, and she didn't get back up.

"Is she...?" Josh asked.

Billy forced himself to step closer to her. He grabbed her wrist. There was no pulse, and her eyes stared back at him, empty. "She's dead," he whispered. He couldn't believe that, and he wasn't sure what it made him feel. All he knew was, it was over. Merkhet was dead. The monster who'd taken everything from him, from Josh, and from K was finally gone.

"I'm... Okay..." Kira said again.

"Kira... Please..." Dustin whispered in horror. "Please don't die..."

"You don't get to leave me, Kira," Tommy told her. "I am not losing another daughter today. I refuse to lose you, too!"

"You won't," a voice said.

Billy stared in shock as Angie gasped. "Mom?" She asked.

Sure enough, Rita stood before them. It was hard to recognize her. She looked different without her usual evil getup. "Yes, sweetheart... It's me," Rita replied. She almost looked like any other teenaged girl, except she literally radiated a powerful white light.

Angie sobbed as she flung her arms around her. "How?" She demanded.

"Casey saved me," she told her. "She helped me heal from everything I've done... She let me meet my mother... And now, I'm here... Exactly where I should be."

"Mystic Mother?" Xander asked in confusion.

"In your realm, yes. That's my name," Rita said with a smile.

The Mystic Force team bowed respectfully. Vida ran to Rita. "Mystic Mother... I need your help! I need you to undo something I did. Please..." She begged.

"Vida... I wish that I could... I am the source of all good magic, but Nick turned evil. I cannot help him."

"But I killed Udonna's son!" Vida cried.

"Udonna will understand. He turned his back on all his parents stood for. I can, however, ease your pain in another way..."

Suddenly, Chip walked into the room. "What the fuck? Chip?!" Vida demanded.

"It's me," he promised.

Vida flung her arms around him. "Don't you ever die on me again, you idiot! I love you, you freaking moron!"

"You brought him back?" Madison asked.

"I did, sweetheart," Rita said. "Chip never should have died to begin with. Just as Kira shouldn't... Also, I find her amusing, and I'd like for her to stick around... So let me help her." She knelt beside her and began healing her wounds. When she pulled the spear out, Kira was fine.

"Thank God..." Tommy whispered. He held Kira close.

When Tommy finally released Kira, Dustin pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I love you," he told her. "I love you so freaking much and thank you for not dying because it's been a really fucked-up day but that would be too much..."

"Um... Thanks, Rita," Kira said. "Really. I owe you." She looked at Dustin. "I love you, too, Butthead." She kissed him again.

"Nonsense. I'm happy to help," Rita said. "I have a lot of harm to make up for... I wish I could fix more people... I know you have all sacrificed entirely too much today."

"Rita?" Zordon asked. Billy was quite startled to see how young he looked, but he'd know Zordon anywhere.

"Hello, my Blue Boy," Rita said sweetly.

"Are you... Are you truly well?"

"I am... As well as I ever have been, in fact." She smiled at him. "It appears that I am the older of the two of us now," she teased him. "I stopped aging at seventeen, but you appear to be fifteen once more."

"Rita... I am so sorry for what my father did to you."

"Shhh... That is all in the past, Zordon." She kissed him, to the surprise of most likely everyone in the room. "Now... I believe you all have to find the rest of your friends. The battle is over. You have won."

SAGE

They were slowly finding a lot of dead Rangers. Each discovery hurt more than the last. Although it seemed the only bad guys to escape had been Zell, Mora, and Sprocket, the Rangers had suffered heavy losses.

They found Max and Alyssa almost completely blown up by an explosion. Danny Delgado had been impaled on his own sword. Ronny, Zack, Eric, Tori, Shane, Cole, Leo, Mike, Skull, Theo, Taylor, Gem, TJ, and Ji had all died. Tyler and Shelby weren't speaking to each other when they found them.

"Tyler father," Koda said.

"James?" Sage asked.

"Yes. Shelby gave Tyler weapon... Venjix take control... Try kill Tyler... James save him."

"Tyler blames her?"

"Yes... He seem to blame Shelby."

Sage sighed. Tyler had barely found his father, and now he'd lost him because Shelby tended to be overly arrogant and had probably missed something that let Venjix in.

"Oh no..." Kira whispered. "Merrick..."

Sage looked at Merrick in horror. If he was dead... "That's the entire Wildforce team," she said.

Kira paused. "Wait!" She said. "I think he's breathing!" She reached toward him. "Sage... Want to help me do something insane?"

"Absolutely," Sage said.

"Help me call Zen-Aku? He was merged with Merrick forever... I know he's technically evil, but if we call him here... I think he'll be able to give Merrick the strength to recover."

"That's actually pretty brilliant."

"I try."

Sage knew how to call on the ancient entity. Kira helped ground her to Merrick. Sage felt it working, and slowly, Merrick began breathing more steadily. His pulse picked up to a more natural rate. He awoke with a start.

"At least we saved one of them..." Kira mumbled.

Merrick looked at them. "Are you okay?" Sage asked him.

"I think so," he said. "Thank you." He hesitated. "My team... They are all gone, aren't they? I am the only survivor?"

"How did you know?"

"I feel the lack of them... I didn't think the connection was still there, but... I feel the void." He seemed sad. "Thank you... For helping me."

"Of course." Sage squeezed his hand supportively, wishing she could take away the pain she knew he must be feeling at the loss of his entire team.

"Professor!" Bulk cried, seeing Professor Phenomenous lying near an exploded bomb. He looked dead, but as Bulk was about to check, he sat up.

"I blew up the aliens!" He declared proudly.

"I swear to God, he'll never die..." Sage mumbled.

She paused when she realized Troy had stopped in his tracks. She followed his gaze. Jake was holding a hysterical Gia in his arms. Noah knelt in front of something...

Troy approached them cautiously. "Oh Gods..." he whispered. Sage saw Orion, still shielding Emma with his body. Both were dead. "I... I can save them," Troy said.

"Troy-" Sage began.

"No! I can do this, Mom! I can save them. They're my team!"

"Troy, you're still not recovered from saving Zordon. You're not at full strength. Neither am I."

"They need me! I'm their leader! I have to save them!"

Sage wrapped her arms around him tightly. He struggled against her. "Troy! It will kill you! I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Baby, but..."

"No... No, damnit!" He kept struggling.

"Troy... Please. Don't make my mistakes."

Troy finally stopped struggling against her. His body went limp from grief and he began weeping. Sage held him close, desperately trying to comfort him. She knew Troy wasn't going to be okay for a long time.

"That's everyone," Kira said softly.

"Rangers..." Tommy said. He took a deep breath. "You have all fought bravely and I'm so honored you came here to help me. I am so sorry for what we've lost today... If anyone needs anything, please let me know."

"Tommy..." Liza said softly.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Mike, um... He had this in his hand... I thought you might want it back." She handed him the White Power Coin, which she took from Zordon's hand.

Tommy looked heartbroken. "Thank you, Liza," he said. He clutched the coin, but Sage knew he'd never use it again.

"Come on, everyone," Kira said. "Let's get the hell out of here."

Sage knew they'd saved her uncle. They'd stopped the bad guys. They'd even put Zell out of commission for a while. They'd more than accomplished their goal... The cost, however, had been very high.

Sage wrapped her arms around her uncle as Troy let his team comfort him for a bit. "Uncle Tommy... I'm really glad you're okay," she said.

"You have your mom to thank," he said.

"I'm beginning to think we have Mom to thank for a lot of what happened today, actually," Sage said. Her mother's death had been a horrible thing, but without her, Sage knew they'd have lost at least a few more people, including Kira and possibly her and Troy.

"Alright, guys," Sage said. "Kira's right. There are a lot of things we need to take care of. Let's start by making sure everyone gets patched up if they need medical attention."

It was over. They'd survived... But nothing would ever be the same.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: There's only one chapter left! Fear not... There will be a sequel to this fic, the final part of the trilogy... But I'll get into that later. Thank you for sticking with me so far. I hope I didn't break everyone's Feels too severely with this chapter. (I think I broke my own a bit!)


	30. Chapter Thirty: Epilogue

TOMMY

His huge house had never felt as empty as it did that night. He couldn't even imagine how empty it would feel once Billy and Kimberly moved into their new house and took Josh and Kenny with them.

He couldn't look at Katie's bedroom as he walked toward his own. She's gone, he thought. He wondered how long she'd been gone... Because the girl who Thorn had killed to save Kenny's life... The girl who'd tried to kill Jayden... The girl who had killed Mike and Mentor Ji... That was not his daughter. How long had evil been lurking inside of her? How had he not seen it? What had happened to his little punk?

He couldn't give up. Tommy didn't have that in him. Besides, everyone had just risked everything to save him. So many Rangers had lost their lives, and for what? Tommy was determined to make all of this mean something. He would fight. He would always fight... And maybe, just maybe, he would bring enough good into the world to balance out the evil that had infiltrated every aspect of his life.

Tommy climbed into his bed. He was startled when something let out a "Mmmmph" of protest. Tommy rolled over and grabbed the protester.

"Saba?" He asked in surprise.

"I had hoped you would return," Saba said.

Tommy was suddenly completely overwhelmed with grief. "She's dead, Saba... Katie is dead." Somehow, telling Saba made it infinitely more real to him.

"I had to leave her, Tommy," Saba said. "She meant to use me to kill a Ranger. I could not allow it. Whoever she had become, she was not the White Ranger anymore. I left, and I came straight here." Saba paused. "Did the Ranger boy survive?"

Tommy shook his head. "We lost Mike," he said. "But you did the right thing, Saba."

"I know that... Yet still, I grieve for her."

"So do I."

"As much as her constant theft of me was annoying, it was nice to have someone hold me as close as she did... The love and friendship of that child was not unappreciated."

Tommy curled up and held Saba close to him, the way Katie used to as a little girl. "I could use someone to snuggle, too," Tommy admitted.

"Sleep, Tommy. You need to rest now."

Tommy was fairly certain that was impossible, but he tried anyway. Having Saba back helped. He had been Tommy's companion in battle for years, and he might be the only one who understood how Katie had worked as well as Tommy did.

THE NEXT MORNING.

JASON

He'd brought Tammy home with him rather than send her back to the last place she'd stayed with her father. Jason had done all of the things he needed to. He'd called Elena Taylor and told her the truth about what had happened to her husband. Zack had told her everything because Tammy had to stay in Angel Grove and he'd stayed with her, but that didn't make hearing her husband was dead any easier. Elena had gone hysterical for several minutes before she finally became coherent again. Jason offered to explain it to John and Tate, having experience dealing with grieving children since Becky"s death, but she wanted to tell them herself.

After Elena promised she and the boys would be there the following day, Jason had put the kids to bed. Luke had refused, insisting he needed to clean up the mess in the house. Thanks to his nervous cleaning habit, the house was already spotless, but Zack had been Luke's Godfather. He was taking the news hard. Robby tried reassuring Jason that Zack was swimming with Becky and his pet fish now. Vinny had remained silent. Ollie stayed close to Tammy. Jason assumed she'd ask to crash with Ollie, but instead, she'd refused to go to bed. Finally, Jason had brought her up to his room and held her until she cried herself to sleep. He held back his own tears until after she'd fallen asleep, but he'd completely soaked his pillow with them throughout the night.

When Tammy woke up, he sent her to breakfast since Luke had been cooking non-stop for the last few hours. Jason had promised to go downstairs after he showered. Alone with his thoughts, however, he became overwhelmed again.

You need a drink, a little voice taunted him. He knew it was one of his ancestors who'd gone insane after killing his family. Jason tried to ignore him, but he grew more insistent, and Jason began to wonder if he was just blaming his own urges on a phantom who didn't actually exist.

He really wanted to drink and forget everything, but he couldn't do that. His boys needed him, and Tammy needed him, and Elena and Zack's boys needed him... He'd promised he would take care of them.

Jason pulled out his phone. "Rocky..." He said as Rocky answered his phone.

"Jason?" Rocky asked with concern. "How bad is it?"

"I... I can't breathe, Rocky... Part of me is dead... Part that can't come back... And I was barely hanging on as it was..."

"Get dressed. I'll be there in ten."

"I can't leave the boys..."

"Ollie can take care of them for an hour or two. You need help, Jason... And after my son briefly died in my arms last night and I got my ass kicked by a hell of a lot of bad guys, I could use a meeting myself..."

"How bad were you hurt?"

"Not as bad as I could have been, thanks to the extra armor Sage insisted on making for me, but the pain's enough to make me want to pop a bunch of painkillers."

"Can you take anything to ease it?"

"Yeah. One aspirin. Two if I'm desperate. That's the most I'll let myself touch."

"Are you sure you can handle leaving the house?"

"I can walk. It hurts, but I can do it. I'll be fine. You need me, Jason. And I'm already on my way."

Jason was grateful. "Thanks," he said. "I'd never forgive myself if I did anything stupid."

"Well, I'm the King of doing stupid shit, so no problem. I get it."

As Rocky pulled up, Jason headed to the door. "Ollie, can you handle your brothers for a little while?" He asked.

"Sure, I guess " Ollie replied.

"Be careful with Robby."

"I survived a battle against a sociopathic alien yesterday, Dad. I think I can handle Robby."

"I'm pretty sure that Robby's tougher than Zell," Jason said with a laugh.

"Dad... Are you okay?"

"Not really," he admitted. "I'm going out with Rocky."

"To a meeting?"

"Yeah. If I don't get my head on straight fast, I'm going to do something I'll regret... I'm never doing that to you guys again, Ollie."

"I get it. Go. Elena and the boys won't be here for a while."

"Thanks, Ol. I really appreciate this."

"Hey, why have so many kids unless you want a live-in babysitter?" Ollie asked. "Relax, Dad. It's no big deal."

"Take care of Tammy."

"I always do," Ollie said seriously.

"And make sure Vinny leaves his room and Luke stops scrubbing the kitchen floor before he strips the tiles."

"Go, Dad. I've got this."

Jason nodded and stopped stalling. As he climbed into Rocky's car, he cringed at the sound it made. "Get out. We'll take my car," he said.

"You're in no shape to drive," Rocky said.

Jason knew that was true. He was stuck. "Sage is gonna kill you."

"At least I keep her in business," Rocky said with a laugh.

They drove off and Jason tried to keep breathing. The ache in his chest was strong and he knew no one would ever fill the void losing Zack had left.

TAYLOR

He woke up confused. He wasn't in his room. Then, he remembered. After splitting up, he and Josh had texted for three hours before Taylor decided to just sneak into his bedroom. Josh had encouraged this. Neither of them was ready to spend the night apart.

He wasn't the only one who hadn't slept in his own bed. Angie yawned as she came out of Kenny's room. He raised an eyebrow at that.

"Get your mind out of the gutter," Angie said, rolling her eyes. "I just got here twenty minutes ago."

"You weren't home when I left," Taylor said.

"I spent the night with my mom."

"Okay... I feel like a jerk now."

She laughed. "It's your own guilty conscience making assumptions. So... You and Josh, huh?"

"Yeah... It's weird, right?"

"No. It's beautiful. And if the Pink Ranger can love a sorceress, why can't the Blue Ranger love-"

"A freak who drained the most powerful lunatic in the universe and somehow lived to tell the tale?"

"I was going to say an emo kid, but sure. We can go with that," she teased him.

He turned serious after sticking his tongue out at her. "Angie... Are you okay? I mean, after yesterday?"

"I got my mom back, Taylor. Literally, nothing else matters. She's back, and she's not evil, and she saved Kira, and... And I was able to hug her." She looked embarrassed.

"I get it, Angie," he said. "I'd give anything for that... But I have Dad... And he's really not so bad."

"He's a lot like you, actually."

"No... I'm like him. And after yesterday, I think I'm okay with that. What I have inside of me... The part that's him... It gave me the strength to save you guys."

Kenny joined them. He didn't question why Taylor was there. "Mom's made enough breakfast to feed about a hundred people... Who's hungry?" He asked.

Taylor had to admit he was starving. The fight with Zell had taken everything he had. "I'm in," he said.

"Me, too," Angie said.

"Great. Would you guys mind getting Josh?" Kenny asked.

"I'll do it," Taylor said. He ducked back into Josh's bedroom. He watched him sleeping for a minute before he saw him start to twitch. Taylor automatically climbed into the bed beside him and pulled him into his arms. Josh relaxed immediately. Taylor was happy to chase away his nightmares. He'd passed out from exhaustion pretty early, but he knew his energy had helped keep Josh from having any bad dreams while he slept.

Taylor gently ran his fingers through Josh's hair. "Time to wake up," he said softly.

Josh snuggled closer to him as he slowly opened his eyes. "Morning," he mumbled.

"Morning," Taylor replied.

"This is kind of a nice way to wake up..."

"It's perfect," Taylor agreed. He kissed Josh's forehead. "Come on. Kimberly made breakfast... For, like, everyone in Angel Grove."

Josh laughed softly. "Kim cooks when she's stressed," he said.

"Clearly. Not that I'm complaining. Apparently, almost killing myself leaves me really hungry."

Josh nodded. "Scientifically, that makes sense. Your tank is running on empty, so to speak." He shifted reluctantly and sat up. "Go on. I'll be down in a couple of minutes."

TAMMY

She was staring into space when the doorbell rang. Ollie rushed to open it. Tammy heard him say, "You guys are early." She looked up as her mother wrapped Ollie in a tight hug.

"Aunt Elena!" Robby cried. He ran toward her and she scooped him into her arms.

Tammy was nearly knocked over as Tate ran to her. He flung his arms around her and started crying. "Shhhh, Tate," she whispered to her youngest brother as she held him. "I know this sucks, but... But it'll... It'll be okay."

"I want Daddy..." Tate told her.

"I know you do... So do I..."

"Tater the Eliminator!" Luke cried with enthusiasm Tammy knew he was faking. "Come at me!"

Tate seemed to briefly forget his grief as he ran toward Luke, who immediately went for a wrestling move on him. Tate was obsessed with wrestling and had given himself the nickname Luke had used as a "gimmick."

Tammy smiled at Luke gratefully as he let Tate pull him into a submission and completely "sold" how strong and unstoppable her seven-year-old brother was. He finally tapped out dramatically, which had Tate laughing.

Luke convinced Tate to go upstairs with him and disappeared. Tammy knew Tate was in good hands.

"Mom..." Tammy said, her voice cracking.

Her mother wrapped her in her arms. It helped, but it wasn't enough. All Tammy wanted was her father.

"I'm so sorry, Mom!" She sobbed into her mother's hair.

"Shhh now... This wasn't your fault," her mother said soothingly.

"Dad was only here because of me."

"At first, yes, but if you don't think he would have been on the first plane here the second Tommy went missing, you're kidding yourself. You know your dad, Tamira. Helping the people he cared about is just what he did."

"Mom... I want to go by Tammy."

Her mother nodded. "Of course, Baby... I think that would make him smile." Her mother paused. "Ollie told me Jason's out, but he said he was calling Tommy over."

"We shouldn't bother Tommy... He's been through so much, and all those Rangers got killed, and... And Katie..."

"Katie?" Her mother's jaw dropped in horror. "Oh no. Don't tell me..."

"She turned evil, Elena," Ollie said as he returned. He kept the emotion out of his voice, but Tammy knew he was devastated by all of that, especially since he hadn't really spoken to Katie much since Lucy had moved in with Sellie. "She killed people... And she almost killed Kenny."

"Kim's son?" She looked even more horrified now. "Is he alright?"

"Thorn saved him... Physically, Kenny's fine. Emotionally... Well, it's hard to tell. Kenny fakes being fine really well, but he was really close to her. I'm sure he's pretty broken."

Tammy noticed her brother John staring at his feet. "You okay, Johnny?" She asked.

"Fine," John replied, playing the tough guy. She knew John tried to be the "man" of the house whenever their father wasn't around, but she also knew he shouldn't bury his emotions.

"John, you don't have to be strong right now."

"I said I'm fine, Tam."

She let it go. If John had to play tough to get through this, she'd let him... For now, anyway. A few minutes later, Tommy arrived. He looked remarkably calm and Tammy knew he was on autopilot.

"Elena..." He said, opening his arms. "I'm so sorry."

"Oh, Tommy..." Her mother burst into tears and let Tommy hold her. "I heard about Katie... I'm sorry, too..."

"Thank you," Tommy replied numbly. "If there's anything you or the kids need, Elena, I'm here."

Tammy's mother nodded. "There is one thing."

"Name it and it's done."

"I need to find a house."

"Wait... What?" Tammy asked.

"Your dad made it very clear that you need to stay in Angel Grove, Tammy... So your brothers and I are moving."

"But Mom... You love Chicago!"

"Not as much as I love you." She paused, then looked at Tommy. "Besides... Zack gave his life for this fight. If that doesn't make y'all family, I don't know what does, and we need to be with our family right now... And as far as our place in Chicago... It's not right without him anyway."

"I'll help you guys find a house," Tommy promised. "And actually, with Trini planning to go back to Korea after the funerals, you guys can stay in my guest house. I'd love to have you."

"Wait... Trini's leaving?" Tammy asked. "What about Brian?"

"Trini knows Brian needs to be here, but he's seventeen. His little sisters need her more than he does right now. We're working out logistics, but Brian is staying in Angel Grove. If he doesn't stay with me, Billy and Kim said he's welcome to go with them when they move out..." He seemed really upset at the idea of that.

The door opened. Jason saw Elena and immediately hugged her. That was when Elena started crying again. "Jase... He's gone..." She said, as if seeing Jason had finally made it truly sink in.

"I know, Ellie... I'm so sorry... You can't even begin to understand how sorry," Jason said. He kept his tears out of his voice, but Tammy saw them.

Tommy wrapped himself around her mom's other side so she was sandwiched between him and Jason. "We're here for you, Elena," he promised. "Always."

Ollie squeezed Tammy's hand. "Are you okay?" He asked softly.

"About as okay as you were a few months ago," she said. "But I'll get there, Ollie. He wanted me to fight and be strong, so that's exactly what I'm going to do."

"We're in this together," Ollie promised her. "And Tammy... Go ahead and be as strong as you need to be for everyone else... But don't force yourself to be strong for me. I know the pain you're dealing with. Let me be here for you, okay? Everyone needs one person they can break in front of sometimes, someone who won't judge you. Someone who can just listen and be there, no matter what shitty state of mind you might be in."

She nodded. "Thank you." She knew she could count on Ollie, but Tammy was determined not to break. Her dad had praised her courage even though she hadn't felt very brave as she was forced to watch him die. She was determined to earn that respect and prove she was strong enough to be a Taylor.

ZELL

He was still unbearably weak. Taylor had proven Zell's worst fears about Zedd had been completely warranted. He could barely stand up.

"Great Zell! I have something for you," Sprocket said excitedly.

"Come in, my boy," Zell said weakly. Upon seeing Sprocket was the only surviving member of the Machine Empire, Zell had decided to keep him. The boy's constant candor was refreshing. He was also basically a child, and Zell found having powerful children around to manipulate was never a bad thing.

"Mora asked the Alchemist to make it for you to make you stronger."

Zell nodded. "Bless that girl," he said. Not only had Mora discovered him in such a state that he could not escape on his own, but she'd called forth one of her monsters to help Zell out of the building immediately. She'd also tended to some of his wounds as best she could. When that hadn't been enough, she'd run off and found two villains Zell hadn't known existed. The Alchemist was an exceptionally brilliant and gifted young woman who was known well in Mora's time for her talents. The Warlock was her companion and was a vicious, evil young man with unlimited potential. The two had been willing to at least help Zell lay low for a while until his energy regenerated.

He took the golden charm and felt its power. "Yes..." He mumbled. "This is quite helpful. Thank you, Sprocket." The charm wouldn't fix him... Only time could do that until he was able to construct a new energy tube to replace the one Zordon had destroyed as a teenager... But it would give him a way to focus small amounts of energy as needed.

"Great Zell... Will we ever be able to fix my parents?" Sprocket asked.

"I'm sorry, my dear boy," Zell said gently. "The Rangers were quite thorough this time. There are simply no pieces left, and without Venjix, we wouldn't be able to bring them back even if there were."

Sprocket looked lost. "Who will take care of me now?"

"I will. That, I promise you, Young Sprocket. You shall not stand alone... And when we see the Rangers and the Chosen again, your parents shall be avenged!"

Sprocket seemed comforted by this promise. After he left the room, Zell pulled out the necklace Katie had delivered to him. "I apologize for leaving you trapped in this prison, my dear," he said. "I simply haven't the strength to free you... But rest assured, our time shall come soon enough."

Zell laughed to himself, knowing his patience would pay off. He understood it would most likely take him months to recover from the battle, but when he did, he would be stronger than ever, and when he released his daughter, the Rangers would learn that they had yet to meet the true Katherine Hillard.

RITA

Everything was beautiful! Rita had forgotten how much she loved the Earth. Kira had set her up in an apartment, and she was loving it. Rito had immediately moved in with her, probably much to Zedd's relief. Her baby brother had made her proud by choosing to stand with the good guys and she was more than happy to let him stay with her. Angie had spent the night with her, and for the first time, Rita had been able to be with her little girl without any complications. She was beyond happy, and she couldn't stop smiling.

When someone knocked on the door, Rita opened it, then scolded herself for not checking who was on the other side. She had to remember to be more careful! Luckily, this visitor was more than welcome.

"Zordon!" She cried happily. She let him into the apartment.

"Hello, Rita," he said almost shyly.

"How are you feeling?"

"Still confused... I remember a few things clearly... Kimberly, Sage, Troy... Tommy. He came back in a flash as soon as I saw him in person. He's hard to forget... I have vague memories of other Rangers, but not enough to believe half of what they tell me about myself."

"You'll get there." She smiled at him encouragingly.

"I suppose... I needed a break from the army of Alphas surrounding me... Our Alpha is a dear friend, but the others are strangers... Five seems to know me quite well. He's being almost paternally patient with me and is trying to help me recover more... Twenty-Six is trying to follow Five's example. They are quite similar... Then, there is Alpha Six... Six is... Unusual. He speaks very oddly. Most of the time, I have no idea what he is trying to say. The words are English... I think... However, they make very little sense when strung together. I fear the language has changed a great deal since the time I remember." He paused. "I wanted to see you."

"I am glad you came."

"I have brought you something, Rita." He smiled at her.

"You have?" She was bursting with curiosity.

Zordon pulled a sweater out of the bag he carried on his back. Upon closer examination, Rita realized what the sweater was covering. "It is a kitty!" She cried with delight.

"Yes. I was told the humans keep animals in shelters now, and they often kill the poor creatures! I insisted Caius bring me to one of these places and I saved them all. Every last cat, dog, and rabbit in that horrible prison is free to live their life now on our farm... However, this one is special..."

Rita was rubbing her face against the kitten's. "Yes, she is such a sweet baby..." She said.

"She is yours, Rita... To help ease the pain caused by the cat your father took from you."

Rita tried not to think about the day her father had murdered her cat. She'd run away, buried her dear friend in the meadow they'd explored together, and gone to Zordon in tears. Zordon had asked his father to help her, but he'd attacked her and forced her to turn evil instead.

"I must confess, I may have inappropriately used my gifts," Zordon said with a mischievous grin. "I have granted the cat immortality... So no one can ever do that to you again, Rita."

Rita flung her arms around him. "My Blue Boy... You are still the sweetest, kindest, most wonderful boy I know." She kissed him shyly. He pulled her closer, but was careful not to squish her new kitty.

"Can you grant immortality to anyone?" Rita asked.

"My power is not so great," Zordon said with a hint of embarrassment. "A small mammal is one thing, but I could not do this for a human, or even a horse."

"Hey, Sis! What's for-" Rito cut his sentence off mid-word. "Ah. Hi, Zordon..."

"This is my brother, Zordon," Rita said patiently.

"Yes... I recall seeing him at the battle," Zordon replied. "Zedd introduced us before we brought the golden one to the tomb."

"Poor Goldar," Rita said with genuine sorrow. "He was simply a follower... I believe that he and Scorpina deserved better... If only I had listened to them and run away..." She shook her head. "This was my path, however. Staying led me to save Angie, and saving my daughter ended up saving me. I cannot regret that choice."

"Listen, Sis, I'm starving! Can we get some pizza or something?" Rito asked.

"Yes! I would very much like to experience pizza! The teenagers of Angel Grove seem to love it... Angie tells me there is a way to order it so it is delivered to your house... Perhaps I can text? I like this texting thing! Look at all of the amazing pictures! They call them emoticons, and there are so many types! They are very fun... I cannot believe we never experienced them before!" She sent a smiling cat to her daughter on the phone Angie had given her to help them stay in touch.

Zordon frowned. "What, exactly, is pizza?" He asked.

"Delicious, that's what!" Rito replied. "Give me the phone, Sis. I've got experience ordering take-out."

"From living with Zedd?" Rita asked.

"Nope. From living with Bulk and Skull when Goldar and I lost our memories after the Machine Empire showed up. Let me tell you... Those boys can eat!" He hesitated. "Shame about Skull... He wasn't such a bad guy."

Rita hugged him. "He died a hero," she said. "That's all he ever wanted to be."

"I know... Wow, depressing... Let's invite Zedd over! Unless it's awkward, being he's your ex and all."

"Zedd is always welcome. I've got nothing but love in my heart for him now... But not romantic love... There's only one boy for me." She smiled at Zordon. His sad eyes looked slightly happier.

"You have always been the only girl for me," he said. "Caius confirmed to me that I never took a wife or even a girlfriend, but he didn't have to. I know my heart only loves you."

"Ugh! Are you two always so mushy?" Rito asked. "That's gonna take some getting used to!" He paused. "But I'm really glad to see you happy, Sis... It's a good look for you... Now, please let me call Zedd so I'm not stuck being a third wheel all night!"

Rita handed him her phone and focused on her new cat. "I'm going to name you something special, my sweet kitty," she said. "Morgana... So you'll have a strong name, and so she'll get to live on forever." She kissed the cat's forehead. "Do you like that?" She asked. The cat let out a soft "meow" before she began to purr. Hugging her cat to her chest and looking into the eyes of the boy she'd never fully stopped loving, Rita was at peace for the first time in millennia.

THE NEXT DAY.

CASSIE

She woke up screaming her head off. It wasn't the first time. It wouldn't be the last. When she was awake, Cassie was remarkably functional given everything, but her nights were filled with vivid nightmares. The night of the battle, when she'd finally passed out from exhaustion, Cassie had woken up to Alpha Six trying to comfort her. Hearing her screams, he'd broken into her hotel room and shaken her awake.

Alpha had diagnosed her with PTSD. She'd promptly told him that his degree in Thuganomics did not give him license to provide a psychiatric diagnosis, but the more time passed, the more Cassie realized he was probably right.

To find a way to function in a world without TJ or so many of the others, Cassie was keeping herself as busy as possible. She'd even spent several hours training with Mimic Force Gia, who seemed to have changed her mantra to Punch All the Things! The girl hadn't stopped looking for shit to beat up since the battle had ended. Without her off switch, Emma, Gia was a mess, but hey, at least she was being productive. If Troy wasn't having a nervous breakdown and staying close to Sage, or if his second-in-command Orion hadn't been killed, someone might have been able to reign Gia in, but Jake and Noah simply weren't enough.

When Alpha Six told her Zordon wanted to see her, Cassie had been more than happy to agree. She stood in the Command Center now. It was hard to get used to a teenaged Zordon, but Cassie didn't mind. It provided a glimpse into who he'd been before the Power Rangers had ever existed.

"Cassie... Thank you for coming," Zordon said. "The Alphas have brought to my attention a message they received from Alpha Three... We have a situation."

"What's up?" Cassie forced herself to ask. She couldn't believe there was trouble already. Hadn't they just defeated every bad guy in Angel Grove?

"It appears that, with the help of my father, Divatox came up with a contingency plan."

"She's alive?"

"Not exactly. Tanya fully destroyed Divatox in this time... However, she split off a small part of herself prior to the battle and my father sent her back in time. That part of Divatox will die if reunited in time with the rest of herself, however, she now has a few decades to unleash whatever chaos she sees fit. She is about seventy miles away from Angel Grove, in a town called Tiger's Bluff. The year she has fled to is 1989, and if she is not stopped, she will destroy the timeline as we know it. I need to send someone back to mentor a new team of Power Rangers. The person must be someone who knows Divatox well, and it is preferable it be someone who has nothing here which would prevent them from going back in time on this mission. You have proven your strength and your leadership in battle. Based on this battle alone, I am more than confident that you can handle this... However, the decision is yours, and yours alone."

Cassie felt empty with TJ gone. Losing Carlos and practically losing Ashley had been bad enough, but losing TJ had broken something inside of her. For all intents and purposes, her team was gone... But Divatox was still a threat, and maybe Cassie could do something to ensure the new team didn't end up like her team had.

"I'll do it," she said. "When do I leave?"

"That's the spirit!" Alpha Six said enthusiastically.

"You may wait until after the memorials for the Rangers," Zordon said. "Use the time prior to prepare."

"Who are the Rangers?" Cassie asked.

"I am leaving that up to you, Cassie. I trust your judgement."

"Wait... I get to pick the Rangers?" She was kind of excited by that idea. "Rocking."

"You must seek out Alpha Three. She holds the Power Coins you shall need to give to your Rangers."

"She? Wait, an Alpha can be a girl?"

"Yo, yo, yo, Cassie!" Alpha Six said in horror. "Did you just assume our gender identities? I expected better of you!"

Cassie laughed. Leave it to Alpha Six to be "woke." She smiled at him. "My bad, Alpha. I won't make that mistake again."

"Alpha Three is female, yes," Zordon said, shaking his head at Six. It was clear he still didn't know what to make of him. "One last thing, Cassie. You shall not be alone on this mission. Lucas from the Time Force Rangers will accompany you and make sure you do not alter the timeline in the wrong ways."

"I don't need a babysitter, Zordon," Cassie objected.

"This mission is literally what the Time Force Rangers do, Cassie. You will only benefit from their assistance."

"But Lucas? The guy who flirts with everything in a skirt? Come on... Can't it be Jen or Katie?"

"Jen cannot leave her team, especially now."

"Katie could just punch Divatox back to the future and solve the problem, right?"

"It is meant to be Lucas, Cassie. All things happen for a reason."

Cassie sighed. The last thing she wanted to do right now was hang out with some arrogant guy she barely knew, but she knew this was important. Besides, she needed this. She needed to regain a sense of purpose. "Alright... Fine," she agreed.

"Alpha, please teleport Cassie back to the hotel."

"Yo, you've got it, Zordon!" Alpha Six replied.

Cassie laughed as Alpha teleported her to her temporary home. She hoped Lucas wouldn't be too big of a pain to deal with. More importantly, she hoped Justin would be okay without her for a bit... With TJ gone, Cassie was the only one Justin had left.

JAYDEN

He sat by the lake, staring at the water, trying to clear his mind. Jayden might be holding himself together on the surface, but on the inside, he was falling apart. He'd trusted Katie... He'd loved her, and he'd brought her around his team, and now, Mike and Ji were dead.

Mike's family had basically told Jayden it was his fault. They insisted that Lauren, as the true leader of the team, would never have made such a huge mistake. Lauren had politely but firmly talked them down from Shiba House, where Jayden and the others would be bringing Mike and Ji for proper burials after the local memorials were held. Jayden was trying not to think about that.

Afterward, he'd already decided he was staying in Angel Grove. He couldn't go back to Shiba House knowing Ji would never be there to greet him again. Lauren was the rightful protector of Shiba House anyway. Jayden figured that if he stayed in Angel Grove, he could at least continue to help the Legacy Rangers. Their team was fractured without Katie and Maddie, but Liza was more than ready to step up as the Yellow Ranger, and they'd gained Tommy as the Gold Ranger. Jayden had no qualms about whipping Tommy into shape just like he'd done for the kids, and unlike Katie, Tommy was actually planning on attending training sessions. Besides, Jayden had gotten too attached to the Legacy team. They were his family, with or without Katie, and that had been made clear when Tommy asked Jayden to move back in once Kimberly, Billy, and the boys moved out. Jayden was stunned by the offer.

"You're family, Jayden," Tommy had insisted. "You will always be welcome... My home is your home."

Jayden had asked if he could think about it, but he knew it was the right choice. Besides, Tommy had essentially told Kira she was moving in, and Dustin, who'd also decided to stay in Angel Grove, was automatically moving in by default. The Oliver House would be both a base of operations and a sanctuary for the team mentors. It was crazy, and he'd never expected it to happen, but Jayden knew this was his new path. He belonged there.

He snapped out of his thoughts as he sensed a familiar energy. Jayden spun around. "Deker." He said.

"Jayden." Deker replied. Jayden figured it was a good sign that Deker didn't call him Red Ranger or Samurai Warrior or anything else that implied his next words might be "We must fight to the death."

"I figured you survived. You always do."

"I am truly sorry for your losses, Jayden. They were good men. They died honorable deaths..." Deker hesitated. "I wanted to thank you... For the battles. It was because I met my end that I was finally freed from my curse."

"You're not a half-nighlok anymore?"

"No."

"Why would they bring you back if you had no powers?"

"Zell needed someone who could get the job done with no regard for personal attachments. He wanted a warrior. Long before I was cursed, I was a warrior. I am an expert swordsman. That has not changed. Zell believed he could manipulate me. He was mistaken. I was purified by my death, but I allowed him to believe I had only rage in my heart."

"You tricked Zell? How did you hide your thoughts from him?"

"With great difficulty. I knew an entity such as Zell could not be allowed to win, especially when he was targeting you and your team. When I learned of Dax's mission, I had to give away my rouse. Emily is important to you, and she's a pure soul. There was no honor in allowing her to be killed by that traitor."

"Thank you, Deker... If it weren't for you, we'd have lost her, too... And as bad as this is, I don't think we'd have survived losing Emily on top if it."

Deker bowed his head respectfully. "I shall leave you now."

"Wait... Where will you go?"

"That, I do not know. I suppose I shall wander the Earth until I figure it out."

Suddenly, to Jayden's great shock, a brilliant light appeared. It was tinged green and he realized why when Casey appeared. She was not fully physical, but it was still shocking to see her standing there.

"Ah. You have come to put me back where I belong?" Deker asked.

"No," Casey said, surprising both Jayden and Deker. "Deker, you have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are the brave, kind warrior you were before the fire that changed everything in your existence. You turned on the evil being who promised you the world in exchange for your cooperation without so much as hesitating. You are no longer cursed by evil, and I very much believe in giving second chances to those who have earned them."

"Are you saying he can stay here?" Jayden asked.

"Yes, Jayden. Deker is a powerful force of good now. The world needs him. And, speaking of second chances..." Casey opened up a portal and a stunning woman stepped out.

"Dahlia?" Deker asked, his shock clear on his face.

"Yes," the woman replied. "It's me."

"Wait..." Jayden said as he recognized her voice. "Dayu?"

"Dayu was the existence she was tricked into," Casey explained kindly. "When your team destroyed Master Xandred, you freed Dayu from him, and death also freed her from Serrator's curse. She is Dahlia again... Deker's beloved wife." She paused. "I firmly believe you both deserve a second chance... Do better this time." She smiled at them briefly before nodding at Jayden and fading away in a burst of green light.

Deker embraced his beloved and Jayden saw genuine peace on his old foe's face for the first time. "I'm happy for you," Jayden informed him. "Don't waste this."

"I will spend every day proving I am worthy of her mercy," Deker vowed. Jayden believed him.

THORN

The first funerals they were holding were for the three traitors. Having Caleb and Sage by his side was the only thing giving Thorn the strength to keep standing. Not all of the Rangers had come to this memorial. None of Operation Overdrive had shown up except for Mack. The entire Mystic Force team was there. The Legacy Rangers stood together, along with the Chosen. Maddie stood with Zeke and Zoey. Jayden and what remained of his team had come. Merrick had, too. The surviving members of the original generation of Rangers had all come to support Tommy on what had to be the hardest day of his life.

Because you killed his daughter... Your cousin, Thorn's mind taunted him. He struggled to think of anything else he could have done. If he'd just taken off her arm with his sword, she wouldn't have been able to hurt Kenny... He didn't have to kill her.

Sage squeezed his hand. Don't go there, she thought. Their twin telepathy was as strong as ever. Katie had to be put down... I should have been the one to do it. I'm so sorry, Thorn... It shouldn't have had to be you.

You saved Zordon. Stop apologizing, he thought back.

As a strong energy arrived, the Mystic Force team stood at attention. Udonna walked straight to the casket containing her son. "Udonna... I'm so sorry," Vida said, her voice cracking with emotion.

Udonna looked at Vida sadly before pulling her into her arms lovingly. "My dear Vida... I know you did what was necessary. Bowen turned his back on the light and left you no choice... I could never be angry with you for doing the right thing, no matter how difficult," Udonna said. Thorn knew Nick's name at birth had been Bowen.

"Chip! I'm so glad you're not dead!" A bubbly girl who was bouncing and sobbing at the same time cried out as she flung her arms around him.

"Thanks, Clare," he said as he hugged her back. "So am I!"

"Daggeron..." Madison said softly with tears in her eyes. One of the men with Udonna and Clare wrapped her in his arms and whispered what seemed to be soothing words into her hair.

Another man who looked devastated stayed close to Udonna in silence. "Leanbow... Can you ever forgive me?" Vida asked. Thorn realized this must be Nick's father.

"You are courageous, strong, and pure of heart, Vida," he said. "There is nothing to forgive."

It was eerily similar to Tommy's reaction to what Thorn had done. Thorn struggled not to cry.

"Rangers... We are here to mourn those who left us with mixed feelings, to say the least," Tommy said. Thorn couldn't understand how he kept himself so composed. "Dax, Nick, and... And Katie betrayed everything we hold sacred... But they were Rangers once. They were our teammates... Our friends... Our..." He took a deep breath. "Our family. And although we cannot understand what they have done, those they left behind deserve to find peace... On that note, it's come to my attention that Dax left behind two young children and a wife. His actions were horrible, but his family is innocent, and I can't leave a widow alone to support two children, especially when one is very ill. I'm going to set up a trust fund to cover medical expenses and any other essentials they may need."

"Tommy..." Mack said in surprise. "That's incredibly generous."

"They shouldn't be punished for his choices." He sighed. "Udonna... Leanbow... If there is anything at all that you need..."

"While that is appreciated, it is not necessary," Udonna replied.

Tommy nodded respectfully. "As for Katie... After this memorial, she will be given a private funeral on the Reservation so her body and spirit cannot be brought back to do any more harm... I am so sorry for the pain she has caused... I can't wrap my head around the fact that she ended the lives of two forces of Good... The only thing I know is that my Punk and the girl we need to lay to rest are two very different people..."

Thorn clung to Sage's hand. Caleb rubbed his back soothingly. I killed her... I killed my cousin, he thought again. I'm the reason Uncle Tommy's broken...

"You killed a monster, Thorn," Sage whispered aloud.

David put a comforting hand on Thorn's shoulder. "You showed impressive strength of character when you stopped her, Thorn," he said. "I'm incredibly proud of you, and your mom would be, too."

"How could she be okay with this? I killed Katie, Uncle David!" Thorn argued.

"Katie hasn't been Katie in a long time, Thorn," Sage said gently.

"We all loved her," Kenny said. Thorn realized his team surrounded him now. "She slayed our monster for us... She beat up my dad, she beat up Josh's bullies, she admitted she'd killed people..."

"She killed my mom," Zeke said softly. "And I let her... But that wasn't the right way to handle things... Sage used her magic to basically trap her in a traumatic cycle of nightmares that was karmatic and that stopped her from doing harm... Katie went straight to killing... And that's the difference. We're the good guys. We're not supposed to kill first and ask questions later. I let her do it... When I should have realized it was a sign something was wrong."

"You were broken, Zeke," Sage said kindly. "That wasn't your fault. Katie used your pain as an excuse to do something that painted her as a hero. She lived for the glory. Everyone enabled that at one point or another."

"Kids..." Tommy sighed. "I know you all loved Katie... And I genuinely believe she loved you, too. Somewhere along the way, she gave in to the darkness, but that's not anyone's fault... I know how hard this is for all of you. It's hard for me... Harder than anything... But it's supposed to be hard. We're dealing with something that Rangers shouldn't have to face... We were betrayed by the ones we loved... But today, we're here to honor what was once good in them and to process our grief over that loss." Tommy pulled Thorn into a hug to Thorn's surprise. "You're my nephew, Thorn. I love you. That will never change... And I'm proud of you for doing something I don't think I could have done myself. Stop blaming yourself. You saved Kenny, and who knows how many others."

Somehow, Tommy's words helped. Thorn took a deep breath and tried to stop hating himself for doing what he'd had to. He allowed Caleb to hold him as the rest of the memorial went by in a blur.

I'll get through this, he promised himself. If Uncle Tommy can forgive me, then I have to forgive myself.

THE NEXT DAY.

ZEKE

He woke up squished between Lilly and Zoey. "Hey, Munchkin, go wake Dad up," he said to the kid. She happily bounced away to do as he asked. Zeke rolled over to wrap his arms around Zoey. "You know I love you, Zoey, right?"

"I know," she replied sleepily.

"And Maddie's the most understanding girlfriend in the world and doesn't care that you've crashed with me every night since the battle..."

"Yep. Marry that girl, Freshman! A secure woman's not easy to find."

"Zoey, if you don't go home to Zhane soon, he might accuse me and Dad of kidnapping you."

"Drama queen." She laughed. "I'm sorry, Freshman. I know I'm smothering you... But no one has ever given a fuck about me to the level where they'd die for me... And you did. You died, Zeke."

"I got better, though," he said with a laugh.

"Jerk. I just need to be sure you're okay... After the memorials, I'll go home. I promise. But until it's all really over, I need to see that you're really okay. Okay? And don't tell anyone I went all clingy. I'll deny it and kick your ass."

"Noted." He hugged her.

Two hours later, Maddie sat with him, Zoey, and Lilly as they prepared for the one thing none of them wanted to do. Maddie was helping Lilly get dressed while Zeke frowned at his reflection. "I hate funeral clothes," he mumbled.

"It'll be over soon," Maddie said as she came back in. Zoey took over distracting Lilly as Maddie wrapped her arms around him. It helped.

"Maddie... I'm here," Zeke said. "All of these other awesome people lost their lives, but I got to come back... It's weird... Like, I was almost on the list for this memorial..."

"I'm just grateful you weren't," Maddie said. She looked like she might cry, which told Zeke that Zoey, Adam, and his dad hadn't been the only ones he'd traumatized.

"Me, too," he reassured her. "I didn't want to die... But I couldn't let Zoey get killed. I'm a Power Ranger... Saving people is what we do." He paused. "Sorry... Is it hard for you hearing about that now?"

"No," Maddie said. "I meant it when I said I was okay. I played the part I was meant to play. I saved the powers from falling into Zell's hands. That's what matters. I'm still a Power Ranger in my heart, Zeke. I just don't have the ability to morph anymore. Look at all the Rangers who came together to save Tommy. Most of them were inactive, too, but we still pulled it off. I'm still part of the family... My role's just a little different now."

Zeke nodded, then kissed her. "I love you," he told her.

"Just like I love you," Maddie replied. She stayed there in his arms for as long as possible.

Only when his father stuck his head in and said, "It's time to go" did they reluctantly separate enough to walk out of the house. Zeke refused to let go of her hand.

JOSH

Having Kenny as a step-brother wasn't hard to adjust to. Kenny and Josh had been as close as brothers for their entire lives. Kimberly was an excellent step-mother, and she'd been taking care of Josh since his own mother had died. That wasn't much of a change either. K... Or Kristina, rather, being his sister was a bit more complicated. He wasn't sure how to feel about it. She'd been conceived while he'd believed his father had died right before his eyes, and because of that, she reminded Josh of the worst three years of his life. He was trying not to focus on that. Doctor K was amazing, brilliant, and understood him when he rambled about science. As a person, he really liked her. As a sister... Well, that was going to take some time.

Josh knew he was going to have to leave soon, but he was distracted. He was looking through some papers from his father's safe when he spotted something unusual.

"Medical papers? These weren't here before... Were they?" He asked aloud. He realized with a start that the documents had his mother's name on them. "Her records blew up with the house... Didn't they?" Josh mumbled. He stared at the information in front of him and frowned.

"Josh? Are you ready to leave?" Doctor K asked.

"I... Um... Not yet," he said.

She noticed what he was looking at. "You look troubled... Can I be of assistance?"

He hesitated before deciding K's experience might come in handy. "This appears to be my mother's medical record... I'm a bit confused by it."

"May I?" K asked. Josh let her look over the notes. "How odd... Josh, may I ask how your mother died? I'm afraid that Billy doesn't talk about her much."

"She was sick... I was very young, so I didn't completely understand what happened... She got very sick very fast... Within two weeks, she... It was over. They never determined the cause but said it was natural causes from an unknown illness. Dad was pretty obsessed with figuring it out... At first, to save her... Then... For closure, I guess. He never found the cause... Everyone thought he was insane because he swore she'd been murdered."

"That's quite likely."

Josh stared at her. "W... What?" He asked. "It was natural causes... His grief just made him obsess..."

"Josh, look at this. The bloodwork is unlike any you'd find on earth. Your mother was human, correct?"

"Of course she was! I mean... As far as I know."

"This bloodwork suggests the illness altered her cells in ways it should not have. I've seen somewhat similar bloodwork one other time, but that was from a healthy entity from another world... Zordon."

"Zordon? You think my mother was from Eltar?"

"No. I don't... This disease, however, almost certainly was."

"How could she contract a disease from Eltar unless..." Realization hit him. "Someone deliberately infected her. Dad's right. My mother was murdered."

"It seems that way. I'm sorry, Josh. I understand this must be difficult for you."

"I was seven when she died... I didn't have a ton of memories of her to begin with... The explosion that destroyed the house took most of the ones I did have away. I barely remember her..." This was something he usually refused to admit. It hurt him deeply that those precious memories had been stolen from him. "I remember enough for it to hurt, though. She was gentle and kind and so patient with me and dad. She loved me... I know that much."

"That's more than you know. My mother was a sociopathic demigoddess who threw me away because she didn't think I had any magic. You are lucky, Josh. You had two parents who loved you. Try to take comfort in that." She paused. "And allow me to help you find out the truth. You and Billy deserve that much."

"Josh? Kristina? Where are you guys?" Their father called.

"We can't tell him... He finally stopped obsessing over this," Josh said.

"Agreed. Once we know for certain we're on the right path, we can tell him. There's no need to cause him pain without evidence," K said. "We're coming," she said louder.

Josh and K met Kenny, Kimberly, Ziggy, and their father at the door. Tommy joined them. "Come on, guys," he said. "Let's go do this."

Josh couldn't help but obsess over what they'd just found, but he forced himself to focus on what needed to be done immediately. He had a feeling solving his mother's possible murder was going to take a while. The memorial would take one day, followed by Zack's funeral service the next morning. He could give the Rangers the next twenty-four hours. He owed them that much. After that, he'd work with K and figure this out. He had to... For himself, for his dad... And most of all, for his mother.

KENNY

Funerals were the worst. The Rangers had collectively decided to hold one big memorial for everyone they'd lost. Individual funerals and burials could be held back in each Ranger's home.

The survivors stood together. Angie clung to Kenny's hand. She watched her parents talking casually. It was odd to see Rita and Zedd hanging out like old friends, but they seemed to be getting along well. Zordon stayed close to them, with Caius by his side.

A woman Kenny didn't recognize walked in. "Hello, Mystic Mother," she said respectfully to Rita. Kenny knew that meant she was probably from the same realm as the Mystic Force team. "And Lord Zedd. How nice to finally meet you! I got your message. I'm sorry I couldn't arrive sooner, but my daughter needed me."

Zedd visibly cringed. "It's just Zedd now, Necrolai," he said with obvious embarrassment.

"Nikki," she corrected him with an equally embarrassed expression on her face. "It's nice to see I'm not the only reformed villain here today."

"So the rumors are true then. You left the dark side. Are you truly a counselor?"

"I'm a licensed therapist, yes. I did a lot of horrible things. This is how I've been working to redeem myself. I spend my time helping others. I'd be happy to help your son."

Zedd looked around. "After the battle we've just had, I believe many others could benefit from your services as well. How long can you stay with us?"

"As long as you need. Just consider me the official Power Ranger shrink. Toby and Leelee will understand."

"I can send you back and forth between the realms so you can see them," Rita offered. "Your realm was the only one where I reached my destiny as the Mystic Mother. I'm connected to that part of myself now, so it's easy for me to do."

"Thank you, Mystic Mother. I appreciate that."

"There's no need to be so formal. Rita's fine." She smiled cheerfully. Kenny was still getting used to seeing her like that. He noticed Angie automatically smiling as she saw her mother do it. Nothing made Kenny happier than Angie's smile, and for a split second, he forgot why they were there. Then, it began...

He felt numb as Tommy and Kira took turns reading the names of everyone who'd died in the battle. Ethan had set up a slideshow with photos of happier times. Some were from the wedding. Kenny watched his mother start to cry as she whispered, "Emma was so talented... These photos are stunning... And Danny did such an amazing job decorating... And Ji... Ji officiated... Ji's the one who made it legal..." She kept going down the list, realizing how many people had died so soon after coming together for her and Billy.

Kenny was trying to comfort her when Billy took over. He pulled her into his arms and let her literally cry on his shoulder and Kenny knew she was in good hands. She pulled herself together a short time later, which was good, because she had a role to play that day.

His mother walked up to the front of the mourners and pulled out her guitar. It had been a long time since she'd played, and Kenny watched her closely as she said, "I wrote this song a long time ago to help my friends through a tough loss. It turned out to have a happy ending, but at the time, we thought we were going to have to say goodbye to a good friend forever. I wanted to sing it today because I feel like the lyrics are very appropriate, but it's meant to be sung by two people, and my original partner..." She took a deep breath and wiped away a few new tears. "My partner was Zack. He can't be here to sing it with me, so I've asked his incredibly talented daughter Tammy to join me. Are you ready, sweetie?"

Tammy nodded and joined Kenny's mother. The song started off with just his mom as she sang, "Down the road, we never know what life may have in store. Winds of change will rearrange our lives more than before... But you'll..."

Tammy joined her on, "Never stand alone my friend. Memories never die. In our hearts, they'll always live, and never say goodbye..."

Incredibly, Kenny could see Tammy's light manifesting stronger than ever. As it spread over everyone present, he knew they all felt as comforted as he did. Tammy hugged his mother and the memorial began to wrap up. People were calmer, even though their grief was still very visible.

"She's getting really good at that," Angie said. "I've never seen her comfort this many people at once."

"She stopped holding back," Kenny said. "Tammy's not the same little girl she was before the battle."

"I hate that she had to lose that innocence... But I'm really proud of her. Zack would be, too."

"I'm so grateful to each and every one of you," Tommy said to everyone. "I know most of you have to leave, but for anyone who wants to stay in town, I'll help you get settled. Just let me know... We truly are family... And all of you will always have a home in Angel Grove."

Kenny felt the love the Rangers shared for each other and knew it was true. They might all have their own teams, but they were part of the same crazy family, and they'd always be there for each other. A few months ago, he'd counted very few people as his friends. Katie had been at top of the list. She'd tried to kill him and Thorn had killed her before Kenny could even mentally remove her from it, but now he had an army of Rangers who he knew would never turn evil. As alone as losing Katie had made him feel, he knew he would never actually be alone in the world.

"Are you okay?" Angie asked softly.

"Yeah," he said. "I am." He pulled her closer to him, stealing a quick, shy kiss before they followed everyone out of the memorial.

THE NEXT DAY.

SAGE

She was still exhausted. Saving Zordon had taken more out of her than she'd ever had to give before, but slowly, Sage was starting to come back from it. She regretted nothing. He might be confused, but he was alive and still clearly a firm force of Good. That was the only thing that mattered.

Troy had forced himself to go to every memorial and he checked on what was left of his team, but he wasn't doing much else. If he didn't have to worry about Noah having a complete meltdown and Jake trying to be the strong one while Gia was busy trying to beat up literally everything, he wouldn't be getting out of bed. Sage had never seen him so defeated and broken before. She wished she could fix him, but she knew it wouldn't be that easy.

"Sage?" Someone called.

"Tyler... Hey," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm not feeling... Not yet. I think it will hit me when we bring my dad home, you know? Right now, I'm just going through the motions. We all lost people. We need to be strong for each other. Anyway, I wanted to thank you."

"For?"

"Chase told me you're the one who had Liza send her home."

She knew he meant Shelby. She also knew he couldn't stand to say the name of his now ex-girlfriend anymore. "She was acting like a brat. Her stupidity and stubborn refusal to heed my warnings about Venjix got your father killed, but she was making it all about how she felt. I know your team pretty much all turned on her except for Ivan, so why should she stay here to upset you? The memorials have been hard enough without her."

"Ivan can't turn on a woman. He's old school. He sees her as a damsel in distress... But even he knows she fucked up and got my dad killed..." Tyler took a deep breath. "I know she's sorry, but... That's not going to bring him back. I spent years trying to find him. I just got him back, and now, I've lost him forever... So, no, I don't want to have to worry about how she's feeling right now." He sighed. "She's just always so focused on proving she's the best, you know? So she takes stupid risks, and this time... This time, there's no fixing it."

"I'm really sorry about your dad, Tyler. I know how hard the loss of a parent is..." She took a deep breath of her own. To her surprise, Tyler put a comforting hand on her arm. She hadn't expected him to try to make her feel better.

"Koda's coming with us tonight so he can be there to... For the funeral... But he's coming back to Angel Grove after. He says you need him, and honestly, I think he needs you, too. Kendall promised she will bring him home any time we need him."

"He can stay as long as you need him. I'm okay."

"I think he likes it here. He's really attached to all of you... Especially you, Troy, and Zedd... That last one's a bit weird, but kind of funny."

"Zedd's out of his element with certain things from this time just like Koda. They sort of get each other, just like Koda and Ivan do. Also, they both live in my house, so they bonded as roommates."

As her uncle got everyone's attention, Sage and Tyler fell silent. This funeral was going to be a hard one for everybody. Zack was from the original Mighty Morphin' team. His death had stunned everyone. That team had always seemed invincible, a fact that was furthered by Billy's return from the "dead" after three years. This time, there was a body, and the Rangers knew Zack wouldn't be back.

Sage had nearly tried to resurrect him, but she was still too weak, and she knew in her heart that Zack's death had been set in motion a while back. As hard as it was to watch Jason, the boys, and especially Tammy and the rest of Zack's family grieve, she knew there was nothing she could do to save him.

The original Mighty Morphin Rangers were all in tears as the funeral began. Jason clung to Elena as they both cried. Although the new widow had held herself together until now, this was too much. John stood looking stoic and Sage knew he was forcing himself to be strong for his mother and siblings. Tate clung to Tammy. It was clear he didn't fully understand what was going on. Sage tried not to think about Robby's reaction to Becky's death. She hoped Tate being slightly older meant he'd be able to understand losing a parent better than Robby had.

Jason stood at the podium now and began to speak. "Zack Taylor was my friend... My partner... My brother," he began. "He was the best man I've ever known. He'd literally do anything to help others... He gave his life to save mine..." Jason's voice cracked with pain. He started crying again. "He wasn't afraid to tell me when I was being an idiot, and he'd roast me every chance he got, because that's what brothers do... I know he'd want me to use this time to make people laugh, but it's hard... It's really hard, Man, because we're still here, but you're gone... And I don't know how to keep existing in a world where you don't... But I'm going to do it anyway, because you saved my life, and I refuse to waste it. I love you, Zack..." Jason took a deep breath. "So... I can't think of any better way to honor Zack than celebrating his life instead of mourning his death... So here we go... Zack loved nothing more than dancing, so I'm going to play a song in his honor, and I'd like everyone to dance."

He began playing the song. To start things off, he took Elena's hand and began dancing with her. Everyone slowly began dancing. When Tate demanded his mom as a dance partner, Jason walked over to Sage. His pain was clear on his face as he smiled at her sadly. "Are you up to dancing?" He asked.

"I think I can handle that," Sage said. She let Jason lead her around for a bit before she noticed Ollie and Tammy dancing together. "They really are cute together," she said.

"They're still not official, but... Well, I think it's headed that way. She's been following my son around since she could crawl, and it's become very obvious since the battle that Ollie's got feelings for her. Something changed in there, but he won't tell me what," Jason said.

Sage had heard Caleb telling Thorn that Tammy had kissed Ollie to break him out of Zell's spell, but she didn't tell Jason that. It was their story to tell, but she was pretty sure that's when Ollie had stopped trying to deny his feelings for Tammy.

Trini and Billy each gave eulogies of their own. When Kimberly took the podium, she broke down in hysterics in the middle of her speech. Billy scooped her up and carried her to a bench where he held her until she calmed down a bit. Tommy didn't do much better. He finally seemed to break under the weight of knowing that all of these Rangers had come together to save his life and had lost theirs.

As Tommy trembled trying to read the rest of his speech, David joined him at the podium. He hugged him before taking the speech from his hands and taking over. It really was a beautiful eulogy and Sage was grateful David had made sure everyone got to hear it. She was also grateful that her uncles had each other. She knew this might actually be enough to completely shatter Tommy if he tried to get through it alone.

Toward the end of the funeral, Tammy passed her baby brother to their mother. She stood at the podium and began to sing. This time, she sang a longer song, and her light surrounded everyone. Sage had never felt so comforted in her life. As devastated as Tammy clearly was, her grief had apparently made her power significantly stronger.

When the funeral finally ended, Sage looked at Merrick, who stood respectfully a few feet away. "Troy... I want you, Gia, Jake, and Noah to take Merrick home," she said.

"But Mom-" Troy protested.

"Merrick can't get back without the Turbo Falconzord. "

"Gia can take him back."

"Do you really want to leave Gia unsupervised right now? She might destroy a planet or six."

"Okay... You're right." Troy sighed, his grief radiating off of him. "We'll bring him home."

"Merrick, I got you a ride," Sage called. "The Megaforce Rangers will bring you back."

Merrick nodded. "Thank you... I must inform Princess Shayla of what has happened," he said. Sage knew how hard that would be for him.

"Good luck. Thank you for your help, Merrick."

"There is no need to thank me."

"Guys, we're going on a trip," Troy said.

"A mission? Already?" Jake asked.

"To kill some monsters?" Gia asked hopefully.

"Gia, there are no monsters," Noah said. "At least not in Angel Grove. We won."

"There are always monsters in Angel Grove," Gia argued. "They're just hiding right now. So, Troy, do I get to destroy anything?"

"Not this time, Gia. We're just taking Merrick home," Troy replied.

"In the Turbo Falconzord? Okay. I'm in."

"Call the Zord and we'll go... We'll see if Princess Shayla needs anything, but then we're coming back."

"Aye-aye, Captain," Jake said cheerfully.

Troy turned back toward Sage. "We'll be home soon... I love you, Mom." He hugged her.

"I love you, too," she replied. It was hard to let him go. Sage hadn't spent much time away from Troy since they'd been reunited. It was impossibly hard to let him go. She flashed back on her baby being taken from her.

The difference is, this time, he's coming back to me, she told herself. This knowledge gave her the strength to let him go.

"Are you alright, Sage?" Caius asked as he came closer to her.

"Yes," she said. "A little tired, but I'll be fine."

"I haven't had the opportunity to thank you for what you did for Zordon... I don't know what I would have done if we'd lost him... You are remarkable, Sage."

Something about hearing him say that was extra comforting. "I'm a Shaman. It's what we do."

"Indeed... Although, dare I say, you are quite a bit stronger than most of the Shaman I have met. I know of none who could have done for Zordon what you did, let alone what you did for Zedd."

"I'm just stubborn. Tell me something is impossible and I'll find a way to pull it off."

He smiled at her. "I believe that." He paused. "Take care of yourself, Sage. Your energy is returning, but you're still not there yet. Let someone else pick up the slack for a bit." He squeezed her shoulder affectionately before walking away.

"Sage, come on," Thorn said as he and Caleb joined her. "We're all heading back to Uncle Tommy's for dinner."

Sage smiled at her brother and Caleb. "That sounds like a plan," she said. She knew that, for now at least, the hardest part was over. It was time to start picking up the pieces and finding a way to brace themselves for whatever fight would be coming next.

TWO WEEKS LATER.

TOMMY

He arrived at the Dojo at the same time as Kira. His phone began to ring, the music screaming, "I've got the power!"

Kira rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Doc O?" She asked.

"Well... I mean... It seemed appropriate, seeing as how I'm an active Power Ranger again," Tommy said with a laugh.

"You really are a dork," she teased him. "You know that, right?"

"I pride myself on it!" He answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Tommy," Hayley said cheerfully. "I just wanted to tell you that everything's back on track in Reefside. Your house was never touched, but we spent the last few days doing a full inventory to be sure."

"Thanks, Hayley. You're the best!"

"It's about time you realized that." She laughed. "I'll talk to you later."

Tommy hung up and followed Kira into Dustin and Jayden's Dojo. They hadn't run a training session since the battle, but as soon as Jayden had come back to town and moved into Tommy's house, he'd decided sessions needed to resume. For one, they knew they'd need to be ready if the monsters came back. For another, getting back into the routine of training would help them all get back to normal, and they desperately needed that.

It was surprisingly easy to fall into the familiar routine. Tommy hadn't been an active Ranger for a bit, but it was always just like riding a bike. He kept himself in excellent physical shape anyway.

Liza was new to training, but the girl could fight. "Liza... Maybe a little more Martial Arts and a little less Mean Girl in a Street Fight?" Jayden suggested.

She shrugged, shifting easily to a perfectly executed set of moves. "Whoa! You're trained in Martial Arts?" Dustin asked in surprise.

"Nope. I'm just a theater kid. Martial Arts is basically choreography. I pick up what I see," Liza replied. She was different from the other Legacy Rangers, but Liza fit in pretty well. She could hold her own in a fight and she made up for any physical skills she lacked by using battle magic. That was pretty impressive to watch.

"But can you hang with me?" Tommy challenged her. He might be on the team now, but he still felt like their mentor. It was his job to push them to be the very best they could be.

"Let's see," Liza said playfully. "Bring it!"

Tommy began to spar with Liza. She adapted fairly quickly, studying his rhythm and matching his pace. Although he was able to knock her down, she got right back up. With an eager smile, she asked, "Can you teach me that?"

Training went extremely well that day. As hard as it was with some key people missing, the teams adapted. The Legacy Rangers embraced their two newest team members. The Megaforce Rangers trained harder than ever, especially Gia. The Chosen had become stronger. They knew what they were up against now, and they were ready to fight. Finally, the Samurai Rangers worked together to figure out how to fight without Mike by their side or Ji guiding them. The Rangers were broken, but they were proving they would all find a way to come back even stronger.

THE NEXT DAY.

BILLY

Everyone had wanted to help with the move. Several Rangers had chosen to stay in Angel Grove and they were all with Billy and Kimberly now. Jayden and Troy's teams had both opted to stay. Gia, Jake, and Noah had found an apartment together, but Troy was staying with Sage. The Samurai team bought a house as their headquarters, but Jayden had accepted Tommy's offer to stay with him. Billy suspected Jayden needed a little space from his team because he still blamed himself for what Katie had done. Kira and Dustin were moving into Tommy's house as soon as Billy and his family left. K had decided to stay in town so she could finally get to know Billy. That meant Ziggy was staying, which meant Dillon stayed, which meant Summer and Tenaya stayed, too. This had resulted in everyone on the RPM team staying except for Scott, who needed to go back to Corinth to help his father. Koda had also returned to Angel Grove. Most surprising of all was the fact that Justin had stayed in town. With everything that had happened, he couldn't bring himself to run away anymore.

Billy watched Koda easily lift two very heavy boxes and carry them into the house. "Who needs movers when you have a caveman?" Kira joked.

Zeke let out a startled cry as Maddie playfully tossed paint on him. He then laughed and stepped toward her. "How 'bout a kiss, Babe?" He asked. Maddie shrieked as he kissed her, covering her in paint, too.

Emily slipped off of a ladder. Koda caught her in his arms. "He's a regular knight in shining armor!" Kimberly said.

"Koda not knight," he replied with confusion. "Ivan knight. Koda caveman."

"Yes you are, " Sage said as she affectionately ran her hand through his hair.

"Who wants pizza?" Tommy called as more food than they'd ever eat was delivered.

"Always," Bulk declared. He and Spike had insisted on helping with the move, too.

As everyone sat around, Billy took in the scene. They were laughing, bonding, and for the first time in too long, everyone was relaxed. He watched his son and his daughter get lost in conversation while their respective partners, Taylor and Ziggy, laughed about the fact that they were both a bit confused by their words. Kenny held Angie close as they smiled at each other. Kimberly sat beside Billy. She smiled at him as she asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm great," Billy promised her. "I'm finally home." Finally, Billy was happy again. He knew that, with time, everyone else would get there, too. They were Power Rangers. No matter what, they would always come back stronger and ready to keep fighting. Together, they could do anything.

THE END.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to everyone who has read this fic. Special thanks to my Muse, Aura MacKenzie, who helped me more with this story than I can express in words. She helped me work through some of the bigger plot holes and caught a few major cannon errors I needed to fix, and I am forever grateful for her support! (And for the use of Casey, Lucy, V, and Zoey.)

The journey continues in Stone Warriors. That story focuses on Sir Ivan, Vida, Chip, and Vida's team of Rangers. It will introduce a group of Eltarian Rebels who play a major role in Chosen Legacy, the direct sequel to this fic, so you may want to read it. It also tells the story of Zell's origins and provides some key information about Zordon's family history. Go, Go, Wildcats will also play a role in Chosen Legacy. That fic focuses on Cassie's adventures with Lucas in 1989 as they try to defeat Divatox.

Thanks again for everyone's support and for sticking with me through this crazy story! I can't wait to tell the rest of it! (I promise the few unanswered questions left from this fic will be addressed in Chosen Legacy.) I hope you guys will stay with me for the rest of the story.


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